Waters of Change

The first in a series of Manayunk Towpath projects is Paul Santoleri’s Waters of Change. In an effort to beautify areas of the popular recreation trail, Santoleri was invited to create a series of murals under the Green Lane bridge on either side of the Schuylkill Canal.

Creating artwork along the canal has helped to ease its transition from a commercial waterway in the service of heavy industry, to a community recreation area. The land beneath the Green Lane Bridge has historically been a place prone to dumping, vandalism, and general grunge; but the space is also home to channel catfish, green herons, and the threatened red-bellied turtle. Before beginning on his sketches, Santoleri spent time meditating on the environment, eventually creating a design to help complement and uplift the area. His final mural incorporates paint and glass mosaic depictions of plant and animal life. The design also returns periodically to a double helix motif, reminiscent of a strand of DNA.

Santoleri hopes that in addition to beautifying the area, his work can also slow down joggers, bikers, and others enjoying the trail. As he told NewsWorks reporter Maanvi Singh in 2013, “A lot of times they just go whizzing by, but when they pass by here they slow down to check out the mural.”