Have you ever wondered what the world looks like from a fish’s perspective? This unique art installation lets you experience it, even if for a moment!
Open Air Aquarium is not a traditional aquarium with living creatures, but an engaging installation of monumental, abstract sculptures. The sculptures are designed by Magdalena Abakanowicz, a renowned Polish artist who survived World War II. The pieces, installed in 2004, stand 12 feet tall and represent thirty abstract fish, each with its own identity and personality.
The Open Air Aquarium is the result of Philadelphia’s dedication to public art. The DePaul Group, the developer of Dockside at Penn’s Landing, commissioned the work and partnered with the Redevelopment Authority in this initiative. The artist herself wrote about the inspiration behind her work, “A crowd of people or fish, insects or leaves, is a mysterious assemblage of variants of certain prototypes. A riddle of nature’s abhorrence of exact repetition.” The sculptures are not just fish but evoke a sense of a larger ensemble, a school of fish, a flock of birds, or even a crowd of people.
You can walk among the sculptures and imagine yourself as one of those fish, swimming through a world of shadows and light. Let the sculptures spark your imagination and make you think about the natural world in a new way.