A 3D hologram of George Floyd has begun its tour of southern US states, debuting Tuesday night in Richmond, Virginia. It is due to be displayed at several confederate monument sites across the US in the coming days.
Floyd was the black man who died at the hands of the Minneapolis police in an incident which would spark months-long, increasingly violent, protests across the US and beyond.
Now his family, in conjunction with a visual artist and the Change.org nonprofit, will temporarily replace former Confederate statues and monuments across the South, which were torn down in recent anti-racism protests.
The artwork consists of a swarm of bright fireflies which then come together to create a 3D likeness of Floyd, beside which his name appears emblazoned in graffiti lettering which has been painted across the world.
Last night @Change and the @GeorgeFloydFdtn, working with @WeAreKaleida projected a hologram memorial of George Floyd at the former site of the removed Jefferson Davis Memorial. This holographic memorial will tour the southern U.S. replacing former confederate monuments. pic.twitter.com/23fyoVLyHH
The work is dubbed ‘A Monumental Change: The George Floyd Hologram Memorial Project’ and was created by Change.org and the George Floyd Foundation, established by his family.
"The hologram will allow my brother's face to be seen as a symbol for change in places where change is needed most” - Rodney Floyd, brother of George Floyd. This holographic memorial will tour the southern U.S, replacing sites of racist symbols with one of hope and transformation pic.twitter.com/vdMWFvjPRT
“The hologram will allow my brother's face to be seen as a symbol for change in places where change is needed most,” Rodney Floyd, George Floyd's brother, said in a statement.
The hologram is due to make a five-stop tour of the southern US, including confederate sites in North Carolina and Georgia, echoing the 1961 Freedom Rides during which civil rights activists rode interstate buses to challenge racial segregation.
A number of high-profile confederate statues and monuments have been defaced or torn down amid the recent groundswell of anti-racism protests across the US. There have also been calls for US military bases bearing titles linked to the confederacy to be renamed.
In what may have been a case of mistaken identity or collateral damage, a statue of Frederick Douglass, a former slave-turned-civil rights leader was also torn down amid the recent backlash.
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