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A pair of monumental words is transforming Alexandria’s Waterfront Park, inviting visitors to walk through the tension between “NOW” and “NEVER.”

Artist Alicia Eggert’s large-scale interactive installation, Now or Never, is the eighth work in the city’s annual Site See: New Views in Old Town public art series. It will remain at the park through November 2026.

Commissioned by Alexandria’s Public Art Program, the artwork features two billboard-style sculptures facing each other across a narrow passage. One displays “NOW,” while the other reads “NEVER,” making visitors part of the work as they pass between the opposing messages.

The installation opened March 21 with a community reception and remarks from Eggert. It is accessible daily from early morning until late evening at Waterfront Park, 1 Prince Street, offering changing views along the Potomac River throughout the day.

Eggert said “now” can refer to anything from the present second to an entire century, while “never” serves as its opposite. By bringing the words face to face, she designed the piece to create an initial sense of opposition that changes as visitors move closer and see the work from new perspectives.

The Texas-based artist is known for text-driven sculptures examining language and time. The Alexandria Commission for the Arts selected her proposal through a competitive review process.

Her work has previously appeared at the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and venues across Europe and Asia.

The Site See series uses contemporary art to activate Waterfront Park as a civic gathering place within Old Town’s historic setting.