/there goes nikki

Project with: Michèle Stephenson, Joe Brewster, idris brewster, Kinfolk Tech & Rada Collaborative
Set Design: Josh Barilla & Saffron Brooklyn
Producer: Aja Quinn Evans, Faith Zeng, Karem Orrego, Kendi King & Omoyemi Oni
Sound : Carlos Johns-Dávila, Samora Pinderhughes, Christopher Pattishall
3D: Prashast ThapanElliott Mitchell, Micah Milner, Jonathan Martinez, Stephanie Davila, Nikita Shokhov (Volumetric Capture)
App Experience: Prashast Thapan, Elliott Mitchell, Micah Milner, Jonathan Martinez, Stephanie Davila, Angie Fan Cast: Pariah Interactive (Developer3D Artist),  Nikita Shokhov (Volumetric Capture)


Performance dates
WSA; New York, NY
June 8th – June 29th 2025

︎ Kinfolk


There Goes Nikki is an AR ode to the late poet Nikki Giovanni in which Giovanni recites her poem “Quilting the Black-eyed Pea (We’re going to Mars)”. Set against a cosmic backdrop and guided by her voice, the experience leads viewers on a journey through black memory, imagination, and liberation. Poetry becomes a portal to the universe Giovanni imagined for herself, and for all of us. 

Physically installed as a spiral altar at Water Street Associates (WSA) and filled with African marigolds, the project blends corporeal ritual with digital immersion, embodying both mourning and celebration. The spiral, reminiscent of diasporic patterns and cosmic cycles, invites viewers into a reflective, almost sacred space where Giovanni’s image and voice become a portal.