Must-see public art installations in NYC, August 2024
Published Aug 2024 by Untapped New York
Whether you want to drench yourself in color a thousand feet above the streets or meditate in a dark void, public art installations in New York City will allow you to do both this August. Hop into a black hole experience, gaze up at twinkling colored lights, hang out with bronze wildlife figures, and more:
1. Black Hole Experience (BHX) in Times Square
For this weekend only, New Yorkers can step into a black hole in the heart of Times Square. The Black Hole Experience (BHX) presented by Age of Union, a global non-profit environmental organization, is traveling across North America and will be in New York from August 2 through August 4th. Created by artist Kelly Nunes and Lightspeed Commerce Inc. CEO, environmentalist, LGBTQ+ member, and Emmy award-winning executive producer, Dax Dasilva, the immersive experience is meant to inspire the “awe and wonder of nature and the cosmos with meditative reflection.” Guests walk through a short tunnel and then sit in an anti-chamber where they are surrounded by projection mapping that makes them feel like they are moving through a Black Hole. Tickets are free and can be reserved here.
2. With Your Voice, Gowanus, Brooklyn
A series of megaphones have popped up around the neighborhood of Gowanus. But look closer and these brightly colored installations aren’t actually megaphones, but viewfinders. Through August 9th, these pieces—called “Voicers”—will stand at ten different indoor and outdoor locations throughout the community. Their purpose is to engage community members and inform New Yorkers about the “56 Points of Agreement,” a set of major capital and programmatic commitments made by the City of New York as part of the Gowanus Neighborhood Rezoning.
At each “Voicer,” viewers can see how the “56 Points of Agreement” are shaping Gowanus. After you’ve had a look, you can scan the accompanying QR code and leave a voice note responding to what you saw. Those notes will be shared with the Gowanus Oversight Task Force, a group of community volunteers who meet regularly with city agencies. By leaving a voice note, you can collect digital gem tokens—dubbed “Gowameralds”—and win gift certificates from local businesses. Those interested in learning more can also peer into a VR headset at Van Alen Institute.
3. Timeless Butterflies at Artechouse
For this summer only, Artechouse will show an extended two-show immersive experience below Chelsea Market. In the former boiler room-turned-innovative art space, visitors can experience Timeless Butterflies and Ase: Afro Frequencies. In Timeless Butterflies, colorful pixels form a bursting bouquet of floral imagery with butterflies fluttering by. Ase: Afro Frequencies features digital art by London-based artist Vince Fraser and poetry from ursula rucker. The collaborative project combines powerful words, moving music, and mesmerizing imagery.
.Untapped New York Insiders can get a free ticket to this enhanced experience on August 28th, 2024! Not an Insider yet? Become a member today with code JOINUS and get your first month free. Registration opens on August 14th at 12pm ET.
4. Graffiti Hall of Fame, Harlem
The 44th Annual Graffiti Hall of Fame event will take place on August 24th and 25th. During this two-day festival, guests can watch dance battles, listen to guest DJs & MCs, and see street art created in real-time. Tickets range in price and can be booked here. This time-honored event started at a local playground where graffiti writers would convene to hang out and test new techniques. The walls of the playground were dubbed The Graffiti Hall of Fame by Ray “Sting Ray” Rodriguez in 1980 and ever since, artists from across the globe have been visiting Harlem to leave their mark.
5. The Arms of Friendship, South Oculus Plaza
If you’re looking for a place to rest while out and about in Lower Manhattan this summer, how about lounging on the tentacles of a giant octopus at the World Trade Center? This massive bronze sculpture by artist couple Gillie and Marc features a menagerie of endangered species cradled by a larger-than-life cephalopod. The Arms of Friendship is accompanied by two other works from Gillie and Marc. Each piece shares a message of friendship between humans and wildlife and aims to raise awareness of animal conservation.
6. New Start, New Hope, Garment District
Look up if you find yourself in the Garment District this summer. You may catch a glimpse of local artist Xin Song’s shining new installation, New Start, New Hope. Song’s artwork is made of strings of ornate lanterns stretched over the Broadway plazas between 36th and 39th Streets. On view through January 2025, the lanterns change color as they glow peacefully overhead. Six different patterns appear across the 135 lanterns in the sky.
7. She who sits, Multiple Locations
Artist Adrienne Elise Tarver will bring a pop of color to the city’s bus shelters when her series of six new images, She who sits, is unveiled on August 14th. The series will appear on 300 bus shelters across New York City, as well as in Chicago and Boston. Presented by the Public Art Fund and JCDecaux, this new work is an “exploration of the centrality of the Black matriarchal figure, combined with new imagery where her subjects reject spectatorship, proclaim agency, and engage in self-affirming rest while seated in intimate environments.”
8. SHADES, The Edge
You can see New York City in a whole new…colorful…light from the highest outdoor observation deck in the Western Hemisphere with SHADES, an interactive installation at Edge. Presented by La Roche-Posay, this interactive piece has taken over the sky deck at 1,131 feet in the air. Large banners of transparent yellow, blue, and red cover sections of the glass enclosure, painting New York City in vibrant colors as you peer through. You can change your perspective and see what the city looks like through one, two, or all three of the colors mixed together. The installation is included in all Edge tickets from now through September.
