1-800-HAPPYBIRTHDAY is a voicemail project and interactive installation celebrating the Black and Brown lives killed by police, featuring 30 hours of voicemails for the families including Oscar Grant, Philando Castile, Mario Woods, Sandra Bland, Eric Garner, and others.

With support from art non-profit WORTHLESS STUDIOS, the project debuted as a Public Installation at the NADA Art Fair, featuring a phone booth donated by the city of New York. In the fall of 2022, an installation featuring 16 photo booths opened at the WORTHLESS STUDIOS gallery, marking the inaugural exhibition.

My role was to gather stories, memorabilia, and emotional nuance from the families—especially the mothers—in the Bay Area. I held these materials with care and consent, and they informed the photobooths presented at NADA as part of the gallery exhibition. I spent time with mothers whose children were murdered and co-designed how they wanted their child’s legacy to be represented—creating a monument that centered their life, not the media’s portrayal of their death. I carry those mothers with me.

CREATORS EVEN/ODD STUDIOS Director MOHAMMAD GORJESTANI
Senior Art Producer JESSICA LAW Junior Art Producer GENEVIEVE DIAZ Designer PAIGE HANSERD

PRODUCTION/FABRICATION WORHTLESS STUDIOS
Founder&Artistic Director NEIL HAMAMOTO Curator KLAUDIA AFWONA DRABER Director of Programs KATHERINE COOPER Director of Space FREE TRIPP Operations Manager EMMA HARD  Fabrication Assistant MARYANGELA ROCCA