The development of the project started when Lady PheOnix connected with Ju'Niyah Palmer, Breonna's sister, having sensed a need for a safe space online where her family and friends could mourn. After a few discussions, it became apparent that entire communities needed a place to process their grief, with a notable lack of easily accessible safe spaces online. From there, Breonna's Garden was born.
Breonna's Garden
Breonna loved uplifting the community and bringing people together. Breonna's Garden is an Augmented Reality experience created in collaboration with Ju'Niyah Palmer, Breonna Taylor's younger sister. The intention of this project is to honor the life of Breonna Taylor while cultivating a safe space online to process complex emotions such as grief. Breonna's Garden is a sacred space for anyone who wants to share a message of hope for Breonna's family. Or, a message in remembrance of someone they miss.
"We created Breonna's Garden to honor the life of Breonna Taylor with the intention that it be a peaceful refuge, unencumbered by the weight of the world"
Director Lady PheOnix
Since its conception, Breonna's Garden has evolved from a healing tool for her family to a healing tool for the nation. It is a sanctuary where her name can be said without negation, and others can share their own stories of grief without fear of judgment. The technology allows people in the garden to record their own messages, which can be heard by the next visitors, effectively creating a chain of vulnerability and hope that helps to heal entire communities.
"This tribute, created in collaboration with her sister, allows us to connect with the person who was loved and lost"
Charlie Fink, Forbes
EyeJack Co-Founder Sutu, worked with Lady PheOnix to develop a script for the app's user experience. Ju'Niyah was then invited to Metastage in Los Angeles to share beautiful memories from her life with Breonna and share a message of hope to the community. Her story was captured as a volumetric 3d hologram and then composited into the AR app experience where she becomes the app's custodian and guide.
After sharing her story, Ju'Niyah invites each visitor to the app to record their own message, which is moderated and once approved appears as a flower in the garden that can be activated to play the message back. The garden is brimming with positive messages now, providing a roadmap for processing grief and creating an opportunity to leave something positive for the next visitor.
"Healing and reconciliation come in many forms, and projects such as Breonna's Garden demonstrate how emerging tech such as augmented reality can be used to provide a safe space to process grief"
Sonya Haskins, AR Post
The project has been created with the generous support from Breonna's family, Ju'Niyah Palmer, Tamika Palmer, Kenneth Walker. Directors Lady PheOnix and Sutu. Producers Joanna Popper and Alison Lucker and Heidi Johnson, Volumetric capture and processing courtesy of Microsoft, Audio by Ecco VR, Music by Jake Steele, character art by Candie Quach, Technical art by Brenda Chan, rigging and animation by JC Leon, Content moderation by XR safety Initiative and Kavya Pearlman.
