THIS PUBLIC ART CANVAS was on display from may 2020 through february 2021, FEATURING ORIGINAL ARTWORK BY PAMELA HERSCH and zebbler.

Urban Underpass is a unique public art installation located in Downtown Boston. Our team has designed and assembled an immersive canvas to showcase custom designed animations created by local and international artists. Located at the underpass at One Congress Street, this public artwork installation was is of a kind and a first for Boston. Never before has there been a projection mapped immersive artwork that is free and open to the public on display throughout the year. 

“This public art installation will quite literally bring light to a dark and dismal atmosphere, with the hope of spreading that intention beyond the underpass, to radiate hope and light from the core of Boston to the rest of our community.” - The Bulfinch Crossing Team

The Urban Underpass has been unveiled during a very difficult time for communities, across the country and around the world. At this time where we are socially distancing ourselves from one another, we do not have many opportunities to experience art or engage in a shared experience. This installation presents a unique opportunity to experience dramatic and beautiful artwork from the comfort of one's own car or at safe distances on the sidewalk. 

The installation is visible from dusk until dawn every night. As the seasons change, the timing of the projection will reflect the change in the daylight hours.

This canvas will feature two artists over the course of the year it will be on display. The first artist is Peter Zebbler Berdovsky, an established visual artist and the founder of Zebbler Studios, originally from Belarus. Zebbler is known widely as one of the premier projection mapping artists in New England.  The second artist is Pamela Hersch, a Boston-based multidisciplinary artist originally from Mexico City with a focus on the intersection of art and technology. With a degree from Berklee College of Music in Electronic Production and Design. Pamela has collaborated with many fellow musicians and dancers, but is quickly becoming known within the art scene for her distinct visual style.

Second Artwork Title: FLOAT

Seamlessly integrating on the beams and ceiling of the underpass, this project transforms the space by bringing animal-inspired animated artwork through engaging slow movement, color changes, and shifting shapes. This iteration also features music created by musician and fellow Berklee alumna, Ella Joy Meir. Meir worked closely with Hersch to create a site-specific piece of music to accompany the visual artwork – street noise morphs into a lush and ethereal landscape with layers of synths, vocals, animal sounds, train honks and ocean waves. Click here to listen to the audio track.

First Artwork Title: City Bloom

Inspired by a local flower store, this animation created by Boston-based artist Zebbler grew from a single projection to a building-wide video texture over the course of the last few months. With verdant bursts of flowers, vines, and branches slowly growing over the concrete underpass of the Government Center Garage, City Bloom is designed to bring an illuminated spark of joy to Boston, with its animation playfully exploring the boundary between a static fine art installation and a VJ performance.

This installation canvas is very unique. It consists of four horizontal beams connected by three ceiling planes, creating an immersive environment for visitors by car or on foot. 

The greatest challenge for this exterior projection installation was keeping the projectors safe. In order for the protectors to be secure and protected from inclement weather year round, all the projectors had to be housed within interior spaces, but suitable interior locations were not equally distributed throughout the site. Seventeen projectors are located on one side, while another six are on the opposite side. Because the projectors are not equally distributed, the distance from the beam, lens, and projection throw varies for each projector, making this project the most challenging projection mapping we have ever accomplished. 

This multi-surface canvas required a system that would allow all 23 projectors throughout the site to work in tandem. Each section of each beam utilizes four projectors to cover the entirety of the beam. Each projector shows only one segment of the overall video, mapped precisely to create one continuous projection image. The underpass is illuminated with the projection power of 23 ultra-bright Epson Projectors. The collection of the 12,000 lumen projectors bring this unique urban canvas to life, for a combined projection power of 276,000 lumens.