Rotating octagonal forms marked with community voices shape queens landmarkAI-generated

Rotating Megaphone Sculptures Turn Community Voices Into Queens Landmark

The Urban Conga and poet Tamra Cosby install Revolving Voices at Astoria Houses in Queens: four rotating megaphone-shaped octagons etched with resident poetry and stories.

Section: Landscape & Public Space
Author: By Elena Vasquez
Filed: October 8, 2026
Length: 3 min read

Key takeaways

Revolving Voices consists of four rotating octagonal megaphone-shaped structures at Astoria Houses in Queens, New York.
The Urban Conga collaborated with resident poet Tamra Cosby on the permanent waterfront artwork.
The project emerged from From Roots to Arts: Celebrating NYCHA's Cultural Heritage, an artist-in-residence program by the Public Housing Community Fund and NYCHA.
Perforated metal exteriors and etched interior panels carry resident stories and Cosby's poetry.
Each structure can be manually rotated to face the waterfront or the housing development.

Four rotating octagonal structures shaped like megaphones now stand at Astoria Houses, a New York City public housing development in Queens. The Urban Conga and local poet Tamra Cosby designed the permanent public artwork, titled Revolving Voices, beside the Astoria waterfront and ferry dock at Hallet's Cove, overlooking the Manhattan skyline.

The installation converts resident stories, memories, poetry, and imagery into an interactive sculptural gathering space. Its perforated metal exteriors depict people, activities, and stories from the Astoria Houses community. Interior panels carry etched messages, memories, and poetry by Cosby and other residents.

How did residents shape the design?

The project grew out of community engagement sessions with Cosby as part of From Roots to Arts: Celebrating NYCHA's Cultural Heritage, an artist-in-residence program created by the Public Housing Community Fund and NYCHA. Residents shared memories, experiences, and ideas that informed both the physical design and the imagery and text embedded in the installation.

The megaphone form carries the project's central metaphor: the structures amplify and project the voices of the Astoria Houses community.

What does the rotation change?

The four large-scale octagonal structures are arranged along the curve of a performance space and gradually decrease in size. Each unit can be manually rotated, changing the installation's orientation and the views it frames.

The structures can face outward toward the waterfront or turn inward toward Astoria Houses. The movement creates different relationships between the artwork, its surroundings, and the community, and lets residents adjust the setup as they want it. The rotating forms also function as portals, seating areas, and gathering spaces.

Words in the artwork are cut out to create texture, allowing people to literally feel the text within the work.

How will the space be used?

Designed for both everyday use and community events, Revolving Voices supports:

sitting and relaxing
climbing and exploring
performance and music
poetry and conversation
reflection

A local Astoria dance team has already performed in front of the artwork, which serves as a backdrop for performance and shared expression during community events.

'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.

'This piece reflects the idea that our voices may change over time, but they remain connected,' artist Tamra Cosby said.

What do the commissioning organizations say?

NYCHA CEO Lisa Bova-Hiatt framed the project within a broader institutional effort. '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,' she said.

Alex Zablocki, Executive Director of the Public Housing Community Fund, added: '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.'

As NYCHA and the Public Housing Community Fund continue their artist-in-residence programming across public housing developments, Revolving Voices sets a template for how resident-generated content can drive both form and function in permanent public infrastructure.

Project information