THERE GOES NIKKI

There Goes Nikki is an immersive AR memorial honoring the legendary poet, activist, and intellectual Nikki Giovanni, and premiering at the 2025 Tribeca Festival. Created by Michèle Stephenson, Joe Brewster, and Idris Brewster (co-founder of Kinfolk Tech), the exhibition is a deeply personal, spatial experience that serves as both a tribute and a celestial sendoff for one of America’s most iconic voices.

The AR installation reimagines her legacy through poetry, volumetric hologram, and immersive design. Centered on Giovanni's recitation of her poem “Quilting the Black-eyed Pea (We’re Going to Mars),” and set against a cosmic background, the installation leads viewers on a journey through black memory, imagination, and liberation.

Produced by Kinfolk and Rada Collaborative, the project uses volumetric capture to create a hologram of Giovanni reciting the poem.

Credits
* Project Creator: Rada Collaborative: Michèle Stephenson, Joe Brewster; Kinfolk Tech: Idris Brewster
* Development: Pariah Interactive
* Volumetric Capture: Elliott Mitchell, Nikita Shokhov

Pariah Interactive Team
* Technical Direction: Prashast Thapan
* Producer: Faith Zeng
* 3D Art: Prashast Thapan, Jonathan Martinez, Stephanie Davila
* App Development: Prashast Thapan, Jonathan Martinez

Exhibitions and Events
* Tribeca Immersive 2025: In Search of Us, New York, USA (2025)
* KIN: A Festival of Memory and Imagination, New York, USA (2025)