Mags Harries & Lajos Héder Marsh Islands Location: South Bay Harbor Trails, Boston, MA (Proposal 2006) Client: South Bay Harbor Trail Public Art Initiative, Edward Ingersoll Browne Fund of the City of Boston Material: Marsh grass, steel, structural plastic, foam, tides Description: The South Bay Harbor Trail was designed to link several of Boston’s inland neighborhoods with Boston harbor, a 3.5‐mile pedestrian‐friendly bicycle path. The Marsh Islands will be a grid of circular floating islands anchored near the end of Fort Point Channel, which branches off from the Harbor. The Channel is surrounded by transportation and industrial infrastructure that distracts from the water and makes it feel like a secondary, left over area. The Islands will grow marsh grasses‐ bright green in the summer, copper colored in the winter. They will draw the eye to the water and provide a simple, meditative focus. Their circular shapes and regular grid will create a piece of "artificial nature," recalling the South Bay of long ago that was filled with such grasses. Beside their aesthetic qualities, the Islands will provide bird habitat and contribute to the continuing effort to clean up the water of the Channel. 1. Marsh Islands ‐ Overall view of Islands in the Fort Point Channel 2. Marsh Islands ‐ Cross‐section of Island design