Downtown Brooklyn is glowing a little brighter this winter with the debut of a new light art installation stretching across the former Macy’s building on Fulton Street. Unveiled on Jan. 30 by the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, the NYC Department of Small Business Services and Boston-based MASARY Studios, the immersive work transforms a block-long stretch of storefront windows into a living display of color and motion.
Titled In Every Transition, A Pattern, the installation turns everyday sounds from Downtown Brooklyn into shifting light patterns projected across the building’s windows and the surrounding sidewalk. The artwork draws directly from the rhythm of the Fulton Mall, using recordings of music, conversations, traffic, crosswalk signals, subway noise and even pigeons to generate a constantly evolving visual experience.
Installed within the interior of the storefront, the project uses geometric forms and programmed lighting to create a kaleidoscopic effect that changes throughout the day. The result is both a visual landmark and an invitation for pedestrians to engage with the space between street life and retail culture, highlighting the corridor’s energy even as the building undergoes transition.
“This piece lives at the edge of the hustle, where the street meets the store. We are thrilled to create something dynamic, rhythmic and meaningful - and new - for Brooklyn,” said Ryan Edwards of MASARY Studios.
Funding for the project came through the NYC Department of Small Business Services’ Public Realm Grant program, which supports creative activations designed to bring life to commercial corridors during evening hours. The initiative aims to improve nighttime safety, strengthen local commerce, reconnect communities divided by physical or social barriers and encourage innovative approaches to public space.
Organizers say the installation is part of a broader effort to reimagine temporarily vacant storefronts while supporting Downtown Brooklyn’s retail and cultural ecosystem. The light display also adds visibility and activity to one of the borough’s busiest shopping districts during the winter months, offering a new reason for visitors to explore nearby businesses and public spaces.
The project is one of several temporary art activations contributing to Downtown Brooklyn’s evolving street life and providing artists with opportunities to engage directly with the neighborhood. MASARY Studios was selected following a competitive process that invited more than 50 artists, designers and lighting professionals to apply, coordinated by the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership and NYC SBS with support from McGregor Consulting.
Best known for interdisciplinary installations that blend sound, architecture and technology, MASARY Studios created the work to reflect the constant motion and layered soundscape of the Fulton Street corridor. The installation’s design emphasizes the idea of transition, mirroring the neighborhood’s ongoing evolution while celebrating its everyday movement and energy.
In Every Transition, A Pattern will be on view through March 16 at 422 Fulton St. The installation is free and visible from the street, offering passersby a vibrant nighttime experience that merges public art, urban sound and the pulse of Downtown Brooklyn.
