The Newtown Creek off Greenpoint is a filthy, filthy body of water. But, as anyone who has been to the awesome nature walk that runs beside it knows, it is also oddly beautiful. At least above sealevel. And now, you can find out what beauty lies beneath its unfreezing waters thanks to this month's Newtown Creek Armada. This is going to be cool, guys.
From September 8th through the 30th, Brooklyn artists Laura Chipley, Nathan Kensinger, and Sarah Nelson Wright are organizing the Newtown Creek Armada in a "boat pond" in the creek for the public to enjoy weekly from 1-4 p.m. According to Kensinger, there will be nine boats total in the Aramada, each one made from materials found in the creek (scrap metal, floating trash, plants).
At the event, visitors will be invited to control the artist-made remote controlled boats around the basin as each boat records its journey with waterproof cameras and mics to give a better glimpse of what lies beneath the Superfund site's surface.
Meanwhile, "portholes" located at the project site on the nature walk will give landlovers a chance to dive into the toxic waters without getting wet. Each will show video of the boats journeys past oil slicks, sewage overflows, and "returning nature." That includes trips to parts of the creek that the public can't normally access, like the Dutch Kills, Maspeth Creek and English Kills. Each week them holes will also show video highlights from the previous week's boat trips. Want a sneak peek? Look no further:
The opening ceremony is this Saturday, September 8th. After that the Armada will return on the the 9th, 15th, 22nd, 29th and 30th of September.
