Artist Öznur Elva Ünal conducted the first field test of her urban art installation "Nya Michi" in Offenbach's Senefelder district, featuring three interactive orange cubes displaying film fragments for passersby to discover. What begins as a pilot project in this German city is intended to become a major multi-year installation spanning multiple New York City boroughs.
The test installation featured glowing cubes, muted conversations, and a science-fiction film about an astronaut who disappears in space. On Saturday, Ünal launched the practical trial at the Senefelder district office, distributing three orange cubes throughout the neighborhood. Each cube contained screens showing film fragments that pedestrians could discover while walking through the area.
"Today is the proof of concept – a preview of what will be realized in New York," Ünal explained in an interview. For months, she has been in contact with Patricia Walsh, a cultural strategist from Manhattan, developing plans for the New York version. The ambitious vision calls for approximately 50 such cubes to be installed across multiple city districts, stretching from the airport to residential neighborhoods. "I want art not to remain hanging in museums, but to connect with the city and its people," Ünal stated.
During the afternoon test run at the Hermann Street district office, visitors gathered around drinks and snacks while watching Ünal's short film created with artificial intelligence. The screen displayed an astronaut who makes contact with extraterrestrials during a mission, an event that triggers conflicts on Earth. "It's going to become a real blockbuster later," the artist explained. She noted that AI served as a helpful tool for the test run, but the New York version will be filmed with real actors.
Ünal received support from a small team of friends, relatives, and companions, identifiable by their black hoodies featuring the Nya Michi logo. Her two sons were also involved in the project: 14-year-old Ishak Ünal and 26-year-old Dogukan Arslan supervised two additional cubes in the neighborhood. Throughout the surrounding streets, passersby frequently stopped to look at the screens or inquire about the project.
The name "Nya Michi" combines the Swedish word "Nya" (new) with the Japanese word "Michi" (path), representing Ünal's invitation for people to see their own city through different eyes. "We walk to work, come home, and see nothing anymore. Tourists often perceive more than we do. I want to break that pattern," she explained. The artist emphasized her philosophy: "Art must not only be for those who would go to museums anyway."
Born in Berlin and now living in Offenbach, Ünal described her unconventional path to artistry. After dropping out of school, she worked as a chambermaid and caregiver before later earning her high school diploma through adult education. She pursued autodidactic art projects and took courses at the renowned Berlin University of the Arts. "Art has accompanied me since childhood. I was always the dreamy one in the family," she reflected.
After moving to Offenbach approximately 18 years ago, Ünal applied to the University of Applied Sciences (HfG). "I absolutely wanted that," she recalled. Her submitted installations quickly made rounds among the students. Even during her university application, Ünal worked with spatial installations, including a black box with a keyhole and light switch that contained small figures, sounds, voices, and water sounds inside. "Whoever looked inside or listened discovered a second level. Sometimes something appears simple but has a depth that you don't immediately see," she described. This principle forms the foundation she wants to continue with Nya Michi in urban spaces.
The Senefelder district installation served as Ünal's trial run for her larger vision, with Offenbach functioning as a testing ground for the art metropolis of New York. Some curious visitors discussed the film, while others followed the orange cubes throughout the neighborhood. If everything goes according to plan, this exact scenario will soon unfold in Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx as a multi-year installation featuring dozens of stations. "Art must come to the people," Ünal concluded, emphasizing her commitment to making art accessible beyond traditional museum walls.
