Sarah Rothberg and Marina Zurkow’s video project "WHAT IS HAPPENING" at Fulton Center combines site-specific drawings of the transit hub’s architectural elements with text and animated collage. Philosophical queries like "WHAT IS POSSIBLE" or "WHAT IS MOVING" prompt the minds of viewers passing through. These provocations are met with clever visual juxtapositions, such as a doughnut rising out of the ring under the Center’s oculus in response to "WHAT IS A PORTAL." A poem scrolls through the center of the mezzanine screens, connecting introspective reflection to the physical surroundings. With surrealism and humor, "WHAT IS HAPPENING" inspires contemplation when moving through the vast historic and civic space.

Rothberg and Zurkow’s playful 52-channel digital videos was seen for two minutes at the top of each hour in the Fulton Center complex and the Dey Street pedestrian tunnel that connects to 11 subway lines and the World Trade Center PATH station. The work was on view through May 2021, and was presented by MTA Arts & Design with technical support from Westfield and ANC Sports.

The artists thank Kelsa Trom and Yotam Mann.

Sarah Rothberg is an interactive media artist who captures the interplay between technology, systems, and the personal, creating meaning through unique and idiosyncratic experiences that encourage new ways of thinking, understanding, and communicating. Rothberg’s work has been exhibited internationally at venues including Sotheby's S2 gallery, MUTEK festival, Miami Art Week, and bitforms gallery. She is a member of NEW INC’s Experiments in Arts and Technology and artist resident at NYU working on artistic applications of AR, avatar research, and VR as a tool for performance.

Media and participatory practice artist Marina Zurkow connects people to nature-culture tensions and environmental messes, offering humor and new ways of knowing, connecting, and feeling. Her research has concentrated on “wicked problems” like invasive species, superfund sites, and petroleum interdependence, as well as the emotional sides of climate chaos and changing oceans. She has used life science, bio materials, animation, dinners, and software technologies to foster intimate connections between people and non-human agents. Her work spans gallery installations and unconventional public participatory projects.  Zurkow's recent solo exhibitions include bitforms gallery and Borusan Contemporary.