Public Address

By Alex Strada

Public Address is a multi-borough public artwork by Alex Strada developed through collaborative “log-writing” workshops with residents and staff in New York City homeless shelters.

Participants’ handwritten reflections are translated into sculptural street signs installed across the city, bringing lived experiences of homelessness into public space while prompting dialogue about shelter, displacement, and care.

Commissioned by Storefront for Art and Architecture, the project mobilizes new forms of collaboration across city agencies--including the Departments of Homeless Services, Cultural Affairs, Parks, and Transportation--to embed these perspectives directly into the civic landscape.

A handwritten note is attached to a pole in front of a stone archway, with a clear blue sky in the background. The note reads: "11.28.23 I would like folks to understand that homelessness for many people was a direct result of escalating rents and the current astronomical cost of living in N.Y.C." Birds can be seen in the sky around the archway.