Besides being an iconic Disney hero in the form of a mega-eared elephant with circus troubles, Dumbo is also the name of a waterfront Brooklyn neighborhood with cobblestone streets and amazing views. For NYCxDesign 2025, it is also home to the Dumbo Projection Project.

Enjoy Volume 6 of the outdoor video art exhibition from May 1 to May 25 from dusk to 11 p.m. Unexpected Delight is the name of the current series, which coincides with NYCxDesign.

Presented with Gabriel Barcia-Colombo + Graduate Students in the NYU ITP Program, Unexpected Delight shows video art projected onto Dumbo’s famed Manhattan Bridge on both the Pearl Street and Adams Street sides, and along the BQE in Susan Smith McKinney Steward Park.

NYU ITP Program Students Testing Projection

I’m not sure if the students have read about the theory of defamiliarization, but that’s what they’re after nonetheless: The works are “exploring both medium and place in ways that will surprise passersby, encouraging us to once again marvel at the spaces we occupy.”

Get more information at DUMBO. Check out more from NYCxDesign at our Show Coverage.