Philadelphia's Magic Gardens

The walls of Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens are covered in a dense, swirling mosaic of bicycle wheels, glass bottles, mirrors, and hand-painted tiles. Isaiah Zagar began building this labyrinthine environment in the mid-nineteen nineties, when the neighborhood was filled with vacant lots and crumbling brickwork. He cleared away debris from the surrounding properties, using the salvaged trash as raw material for his sprawling, immersive art installation. These walls turn thousands of found objects into a continuous, glittering narrative that fills an entire block.