Header: Angie McMonigal
ART on THE MART, the world’s largest digital art projection, will premiere Currents of Chicago from June 5 to July 6, a new moving image work by the architecture and design firm Perkins&Will. Timed to debut just ahead of the 56th edition of NeoCon 2025 (June 9–11), the piece explores the visible and invisible forces that shape the city, from water and wind to data, infrastructure, and design.
Commissioned in partnership with Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), the work transforms THE MART’s 2.5-acre facade into a large-scale projection reflecting the city’s ongoing evolution. This is the third consecutive year that ART on THE MART programming coincides with NeoCon.
Set to music by Chicago house producer Aniko Thomas (Niko The Great), Currents combines sound and image to trace patterns of movement and transformation across the city. The projection visualizes how design intersects with daily life by drawing from natural, human, and technological flows, from Lake Michigan and the Chicago River to transit systems and neighbourhood networks. The animation references engineered landscapes, cultural shifts, and the ongoing presence of innovation in both physical and digital space.
“Everything we interact with—from the systems we move through to the stories we tell—is shaped by design… Design is not decoration—it’s direction.”
Yvette Fevurly, Principal of Branded Environments at Perkins&Will
The project frames Chicago’s design history and urban context through a mix of illustration and motion graphics, focusing on the layered systems and lived experiences that define the city. The concept of “currents” is treated literally and metaphorically, referencing natural forces and the continual momentum of people, ideas, and built environments.
“Currents is more than a projection; it’s a reflection of the city’s ongoing transformation.”
Cynthia Noble, Executive Director of ART on THE MART
The projection can be viewed from the Jetty section of the Chicago Riverwalk on Wacker Drive, between Wells and Franklin Streets, where the accompanying audio will also be available. Currents will be on view at 9:00 p.m. nightly from June 5 through June 15 and then Thursday through Sunday evenings, June 19 through July 6. ART on THE MART is free and open to the public.
