A new interactive public artwork at Astoria Houses in Queens, N.Y., transforms an underused pass-through space into a permanent gathering place.

“Revolving Voices” sits at the edge of the New York City Public Housing development, next to the Astoria waterfront and ferry dock. The project combines movement, sound, storytelling, and play. It also celebrates the experiences and creative voices of the local community.

The design studio Urban Conga created the installation in collaboration with resident poet and artist Tamra Cosby. The project emerged through community engagement sessions with Cosby as part of From Roots to Arts: Celebrating NYCHA’s Cultural Heritage. The initiative supports artists within New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) communities. It also uses art to strengthen connections among residents.

Community members helped shape “Revolving Voices” through a co-design process. They shared memories, experiences, and ideas for the site. Their input informed the installation’s physical design, imagery, stories, and text.

Inspired by the megaphone

The design draws on the megaphone as a symbol of amplification. Four large, megaphone-like structures form a sculptural and playable landscape. Visitors can gather, climb, sit, explore, perform, and reflect within the installation.

Each structure features perforated imagery across its outer shell. From a distance, the images depict people, talents, and stories from the Astoria Houses community. The scenes include people playing, dancing, and protesting.

The installation reveals another layer at closer range. Its interiors feature messages, memories, stories, and poetry from Cosby and other community members, etched directly into metal panels.

Visitors can manually rotate each of the four components. As the structures turn, they create shifting views of Astoria and continually alter the artwork’s composition.

The Urban Conga says this movement reflects the changing nature of community stories. The installation treats those stories as something that can shift, grow, and evolve rather than remain fixed.

“As an artist and a resident, creating ‘Revolving Voices’ gave me the opportunity to look at Astoria Houses not only as a place where I live, but as a place filled with history, creativity, relationships, and possibility,” says Cosby.

The project also aims to change how residents and visitors use the site, says Ryan Swanson, principal of The Urban Conga.

Maeghann Coleman, also principal of The Urban Conga, adds that the installation serves as a prompt for conversation.