Giant digital artwork will Illuminate THE MART’s Facade during NeoCon

A new large-scale digital projection will light up the facade of THE MART in downtown Chicago this summer, offering a reflection on the forces shaping the city’s past, present and future. Currents of Chicago, created by architecture and design firm Perkins&Will, will be displayed from 5 June to 6 July as part of the ongoing ART on THE MART programme. Lighting up the building’s 2.5-acre riverfront facade, the work coincides with the 2025 edition of NeoCon (9–11 June), a major event in the commercial design industry. It is the third year in a row that ART on THE MART has timed one of its major presentations to coincide with the NeoCon design fair.

Commissioned in partnership with Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), Currents uses motion graphics and music to explore the natural and man-made systems that define life in the city. These include the flow of the Chicago River, the sweep of Lake Michigan, and the often-invisible forces of data, infrastructure and technology.

Yvette Fevurly, Principal of Branded Environments at Perkins&Will, said the piece aims to uncover the human narratives embedded in the city’s design. “Everything we interact with—from the systems we move through to the stories we tell—is shaped by design,” she said. “Currents reveals the underlying threads of human need and imagination that drive progress.”

The visuals are accompanied by music from West Side producer Aniko Thomas, known as Niko The Great, and draw on the traditions of Chicago house music. The combination of sound and imagery creates what organisers describe as a journey through the city’s layered urban identity—connecting its engineering, cultural life, and architecture.

According to ART on THE MART Executive Director Cynthia Noble, the commission showcases the interplay between the city’s legacy and its aspirations. “Currents is more than a projection; it’s a celebration of our city’s culture, architecture, ingenuity, and evolution,” she said.

The projection will be visible from The Jetty along the Chicago Riverwalk on Wacker Drive, between Wells and Franklin Streets, with music audible from that location. The work will run nightly at 9pm from 5 to 15 June, then Thursdays through Sundays until 6 July. As with all ART on THE MART projections, the show is free and open to the public.

More information on the 2025 programme is available at artonthemart.com.