The Urban Conga: Revolving Voices at Astoria Houses

At the edge of Astoria Houses, a public housing development on the Queens waterfront, The Urban Conga has installed Revolving Voices, a permanent artwork made with resident poet Tamra Cosby. Four octagonal forms based on the megaphone carry the words and stories of the community, and each one can be turned by hand.

View from Hallets Cove toward the Manhattan skyline — Revolving Voices at Hallets Cove, facing the Manhattan skyline. Photo: Ryan Swanson.

The work stands beside the Astoria waterfront and ferry dock at Hallets Cove, looking toward the Manhattan skyline. Completed in August 2026 for the New York City Housing Authority and the Public Housing Community Fund, it turns what the studio describes as an underused pass-through space into a place to gather.

Octagonal forms by The Urban Conga on the waterfront plaza — Perforated imagery on the exterior depicts the people and stories of Astoria Houses. Photo: Charles Darr.

Four forms of Revolving Voices near the ferry stop — The piece marks the entrance to Astoria Houses, across from a ferry stop. Photo: Tameek Williams.

Aerial view of the installation in the plaza — The artwork sits within the existing infrastructure of the plaza. Photo: Tameek Williams.

The project came out of From Roots to Arts, an artist-in-residence programme set up by the Public Housing Community Fund and NYCHA to work with artists who live in public housing. Cosby, the resident artist at Astoria Houses, led a series of community sessions in which neighbours shared memories, experiences and hopes for the site. Those conversations shaped both the form and the texts and images built into it.

Dance team performing in front of the installation — A local Astoria dance team performs in front of the artwork. Photo: Tameek Williams.

Tamra Cosby performing in front of Revolving Voices — Tamra Cosby performs the poem that wraps around the inside of the work. Photo: Tameek Williams.

The four forms in the plaza with trees behind — During community events the piece becomes a backdrop for performance and conversation. Photo: Charles Darr.

A megaphone in four parts

The Urban Conga took the megaphone, an object made to amplify a voice, and split it into four octagonal pieces that follow the curve of the surrounding performance space and shrink from one to the next. Made of powder-coated aluminium, they range from about 1.4 to 2.3 metres in diameter and height.

Yellow octagonal structures wrapped in cut-out text — The words of poet Tamra Cosby and the Astoria Houses community wrap the structures. Photo: Tameek Williams.

Two people climbing through a rotating octagonal form — Each unit can be rotated to change its orientation in the space. Photo: Charles Darr.

Child touching cut-out words inside a yellow form — The words are cut through the metal, so they can be touched as well as read. Photo: Charles Darr.

Orange octagonal form of Revolving Voices — Photo: Charles Darr.

Plan of Revolving Voices by The Urban Conga — Plan.

Each outer shell is perforated with images of residents playing, dancing and protesting, which read best from a distance. Closer up, the interiors show a second layer: messages, memories and poems by Cosby and other residents, cut into the metal panels, so that anyone sitting inside is surrounded by their neighbours’ words.

Interior panel with community messages cut into the metal — Interior panels carry messages, stories and poetry from Cosby and other residents. Photo: Tameek Williams.

Detail of etched poetry on an interior panel — Poetry etched into the interior panels. Photo: Tameek Williams.

Young resident sitting inside an octagonal structure — A young resident sits inside one of the structures. Photo: Tameek Williams.

Close view of a yellow octagonal form — The octagonal forms take their cue from the megaphone. Photo: Tameek Williams.

Person reclining inside a yellow structure — Photo: Tameek Williams.

Turning toward the water

Every piece can be rotated by hand. Facing outward, the forms address the waterfront and the people passing by. Turned inward, they make a more enclosed space for residents. As they move, they frame different views of Astoria, so the arrangement keeps changing with the people who use it.

People moving among the rotating forms — Residents can move the pieces and set them up as they choose. Photo: Tameek Williams.

Visitor walking between the forms — Turned toward the waterfront, the forms address people passing by. Photo: Tameek Williams.

Visitors lounging inside the structures — The structures invite people to climb, lounge and gather. Photo: Tameek Williams.

Residents sitting inside an orange octagonal structure — Revolving Voices doubles as a gathering space for residents. Photo: Charles Darr.

People standing among the rotated forms — As the forms rotate, they frame different views of Astoria. Photo: Charles Darr.

The piece works as seating, a playable structure and a stage. Residents climb, lounge and sit inside it, and during community events the plaza around it hosts poetry, music and performance. For Cosby, it reflects the idea that voices change over time but stay connected. It joins other public installations on Sketchure built from local stories and craft, such as Bureau de Change’s Echo in Seoul.

Visitors of different ages around the installation — The work is designed for people of different ages to play and gather. Photo: Tameek Williams.

Person lying inside a structure with etched text — Stories and imagery came from residents during the co-design process. Photo: Tameek Williams.

Two people sitting inside an orange form — Visitors can lounge inside the structures and turn them. Photo: Tameek Williams.

Artwork: The Urban Conga / @theurbanconga with Tamra Cosby
Photography: Charles Darr, Tameek Williams, Ryan Swanson
Location: Astoria Houses, Queens, New York, United States