Located at the edge of Astoria Houses, a New York City Public Housing development, directly adjacent to the Astoria waterfront and ferry dock, Revolving Voices is a permanent public artwork and gathering space that celebrates the voices, talents, stories, and cultural histories of the Astoria Houses community. Created by The Urban Conga in collaboration with resident poet Tamra Cosby, the installation physically represents the opportunity to share one’s voice, talent, and message within the public realm.

The project was developed through a series of community engagement sessions with Artist-in-Residence Tamra Cosby as part of the From Roots to Arts: Celebrating NYCHA's Cultural Heritage program. From Roots to Arts is an artist-in-residence program developed by the Public Housing Community Fund and New York City Housing Authority to highlight artists within NYCHA housing communities to create art and cultivate a deeper sense of community. Through the co-design process, community members shared their memories, experiences, and visions for the space. This process informed both the physical design as well as the stories and imagery embedded within it, creating a permanent piece rooted in the voices of those who live there.

Taking inspiration from the form of a megaphone, an object designed to amplify and project a voice, Revolving Voices reimagines this symbol as a series of large-scale, octagonal forms that follow the curve of the surrounding performance space, gradually decreasing in size. Together, the structures create a sculptural and playable landscape that encourages people to gather, climb, sit, explore, perform, and reflect. The megaphone-like form is broken into four distinct components, each displaying perforated imagery across its outer shell. Viewed from a distance, these images depict the people, talents, and stories that make up the Astoria Houses community, from people playing, to dancing, to protesting. As visitors move closer, another layer of the installation is revealed. The interiors display powerful messages, stories, memories, and poetry from Cosby and other community members, etched directly into the metal panels. Visitors can sit within the structures and become physically surrounded by the voices of their community.

Each of the four components can be manually rotated by users, allowing the installation to continually change its orientation within the space. As the forms turn, they frame different views of Astoria and create new relationships between the installation, the waterfront, and the Astoria Houses community. The structures can face outward toward the water and the broader public, inviting visitors passing through the waterfront to pause, listen, and learn about the community behind them. They can also turn inward, creating spaces that feel more intimate and connected to the Astoria Houses community. This ability to rotate creates an installation that is ever-changing. The community can continually reshape how the structure sits within its environment, transforming the megaphone-like forms into portals that frame new perspectives and encourage visitors to see the neighborhood from different points of view. Revolving Voices reflects the idea that a community’s story is not static, but that it continues to shift, grow, and evolve with the people who contribute to it.

Revolving Voices is designed to support both everyday moments and larger collective gatherings, acting as a public artwork, playable structure, seating area, performance space, and storytelling device. Residents might sit inside the forms for quiet reflection, gather with friends, or encounter stories and memories from their neighbors. During community events, the surrounding space can become a setting for poetry, music, performance, conversation, and shared expression. Revolving Voices creates a space for the Astoria Houses community to perform, converse, listen, and reflect. By placing the voices and creative expressions of residents at the center of a prominent public space, the project invites both the community and the broader public to consider who gets to be heard, whose stories are represented, and how public space can become a platform for collective expression. The result is a landmark shaped by the voices, memories, and continued participation of the community.

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“Revolving Voices reflects the stories and lived experiences of residents living at Astoria Houses, and tells the history of the community in a fun, interactive way,” said Alex Zablocki, Executive Director of the Public Housing Community Fund. “The art, acting as megaphones calling out to the city, gives residents a voice and opportunity to welcome others in. From Roots to Arts created a unique opportunity to connect residents with local artists, allowing them to unlock their creativity and have it reflected in art and programming. This new installation brings out the best of Astoria while creating a welcoming and relaxing environment that the community can enjoy for years to come. Congratulations to Tamra, The Urban Conga, and, most importantly, the residents whose creativity and dedication helped make this project a reality.”

"Projects like Revolving Voices demonstrate the power of transforming public spaces into vibrant hubs of community pride and shared history," said NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt. "The Connected Communities program places residents at the heart of the design process, ensuring that the art in our developments directly reflects the people who live there. We are grateful to the Public Housing Community Fund, The Urban Conga, and the Astoria Houses residents for their partnership and shared vision."

“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. This piece reflects the idea that our voices may change over time, but they remain connected. What we contribute today becomes part of the story that someone else carries forward tomorrow,” said artist Tamra Cosby

“Revolving Voices was created to transform a once-underutilized pass-through space into a welcoming communal landmark that reflects the identity and spirit of the Astoria Houses community. By centering the voices, memories, and continued participation of residents, the work creates a place that feels rooted in the community and invites people to gather, engage, and connect,” said Ryan Swanson, Principal of Urban Conga.

“Working alongside local poet Tamra Cosby and the Astoria Houses community shaped the work into an interaction that extends beyond the physical experience into a prompt for conversation and a reflection of the many stories and perspectives within the community,” said Maeghann Coleman, Principal of Urban Conga.