Virginia Shore on Curating Jeffrey Gibson’s “The Spirits Are Laughing”

Jeffrey Gibson, “The Spirits Are Laughing” (installation view, Little Island), 2024. Animations by Zach Reich. Photo ©Manuela-Lourenço. Image courtesy Jeffrey Gibson.

APAA Member Virginia Shore recently curated Jeffrey Gibson’s public art project, The Spirits are Laughing, which ran concurrently with Climate Week NYC; UN's Summit of the Future 2024; Creative Time’s Summit, States of Emergence: Land after property and catastrophe; and the Pioneer Works program Science & Society: Visions of Climate Futures. We spoke with Virginia about the origins of the project and the significance of the work.

Jeffrey Gibson, The Spirits Are Laughing (installation view, Brooklyn Bridge), 2024. Animations by Zach Reich. Photo ©Emily Anderson. Image courtesy Jeffrey Gibson.

Can you briefly explain what your role as curator for this project entailed?

I started this project by pitching the idea to both the artist and the funding partner. Once the collaboration was confirmed, I worked with Jeffrey and our funders to identify sites that would amplify the environmentally-focused messages of the artwork and also connect to other climate related events. Other aspects entailed identifying billboard companies and locations; a projection company that could successfully navigate projecting the artist’s animation onto high-visibility buildings; and photographers who could capture the activations.

There was also a large effort to bring in additional collaborators and partners, such as Creative Time and the Brooklyn Academy of Music, where Creative Time’s summit (States of Emergence: Land after property and catastrophe) was taking place. The Dumbo Projection Project was another organization that we worked closely with to secure permission from DOT to project the full-length animation in public areas over several evenings. We were also excited to connect with Pioneer Works and project onto their building in conjunction with their programScience & Society: Visions of Climate Futures with Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Jade Begay, and Colette Pichon Battle. 

What was the thought process behind choosing these specific sites around the city for the projections?

Pioneer works was chosen because they were hosting a climate-focused program Science & Society: Visions of Climate Futures with Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, Jade Begay, and Colette Pichon Battle. Brooklyn Academy of Music was an important site because of Creative Time’s Summit, States of Emergence: Land after property and catastrophe. Billboard at the HIgh Line with Climate Science focused on innovators and entrepreneurs climate ideas that are making a difference.

Jeffrey Gibson, The Spirits Are Laughing (installation view, Radio City Music Hall), 2024. Animations by Zach Reich. Photo ©Lucas Asensi. Image courtesy Jeffrey Gibson.

Jeffrey Gibson, The Spirits Are Laughing (installation view, Grand Army Plaza), 2024. Animations by Zach Reich. Photo ©Manuela-Lourenço. Image courtesy Jeffrey Gibson.

What were your biggest priorities for this project? 

Further amplifying Jeffrey’s work … The Spirits are Laughing relates to Indigenous kinship philosophy and “the idea of seeing the land as an extension of one’s own family or oneself, and prioritizes looking at everything in our surroundings as an equal living entity.” 

What is one thing you hope spectators will take away from these activations and projections?  

ACTION. Protecting and caring for our planet. We all need to commit to change and improve the way we live.