jenny holzer confronts the reality of gun violence with rockefeller center light projections

from october 10-12, 2019, artist jenny holzer is projecting a new light display onto the landmark buildings of new york’s rockefeller center. for ‘VIGIL’, holzer shares testimonies, responses, and poems by people confronting the everyday reality of gun violence using her signature text-based practice. the first-person accounts serve both as an acknowledgement of communities impacted by gun violence and an invitation for dialogue around the prevalence of this issue in the united states.

presented by creative time⁠ © 2019 jenny holzer, member artists rights society (ARS), NY
all images by lauren camarata

the projections feature texts from the compilation bullets into bells: poets & citizens respond to gun violence, stories from ‘moments that survive’ collected by everytown for gun safety, and poems by teens who have grown up in the shadow of mass shootings. in doing so, jenny holzer provides a moment to reflect on the past and look forward to the notion of a collective future. ‘VIGIL’ is presented by creative time, a public arts organization that has worked with holzer on two previous occasions.

‘projected onto one of the most iconic landmarks in new york city, VIGIL speaks to the massive impact gun violence has not only on individuals, but the very fabric of communities and cities,’ says justine ludwig, exective director, creative time. ‘the text encroaches on the facades and windows of these buildings, surrounding the viewer and enveloping the city in messages of light. through the project, the city itself is transformed.’ see more work by jenny holzer on designboom here.

video by davyana san miguel

project info:

name: VIGIL
dates: october 10-12, 2019
artist: jenny holzer
presented by: creative time⁠
location: new york city, NY
photography: lauren camarata
video: davyana san miguel