The Navy Yard Sea Monster 🐙

~ Last updated on Sep 28, 2021 ~

This temporary inflatable sculpture, called “Sea Monsters HERE,” was located at Building 611 in the South Philly Navy Yard, and it holds the (incredibly specific) title of being the world’s largest inflatable tentacle sculpture.

The installation was visible from Oct. 8, 2018 – Nov 16, 2018 and I was very happy to be able to catch this in person. Seeing these large testicles floating in the wind made for an interesting site for sure!

Group X, Filthy Luker, & Pedro Estrellas

Sea Monsters HERE is the first collaborative partnership between Group X (a collection of anonymous Philly-based artists, curators, and organizers) and by world-renowned UK artists Filthy Luker and Pedro Estrellas.

Group X has stated “We want to break through the proverbial, and in this case physical, walls that can too often keep people from feeling invited into the arts world… and with this installation, we’re just getting started.”

The piece featured 20 inflatable purple tentacles coming out of various windows around the warehouse as well as the roof. They reached up to 40 feet long and could even be seen from planes landing at the Philadelphia Airport as well as from the Delaware River. To complete the piece, there were 2 creepy inflatable eyes staring out the side of the building as well.

“The Navy Yard is one of Philadelphia’s most iconic places, with layers of historic and modern buildings, large-scale warehouses, and maritime assets along the riverfront. We partnered with Group X to find an artist who would use the Navy Yard as a platform for art to surprise and delight the audience,” said Jennifer Tran, PIDC’s Director of Navy Yard Marketing & Communications. “We are thrilled to unveil this one-of-a-kind and striking public art installation today, which gives visitors and employees another reason to explore the Navy Yard.”