1-800 Happy Birthday 

WORTHLESSSTUDIOS, in partnership with Even/Odd and Campaign Zero, is excited to present 1-800 Happy Birthday, a public art project created by artist and filmmaker Mohammad Gorjestani that honors Black and Brown victims of police and systemic violence. This new chapter will bring the project closer to the families with whom it collaborates to create new forms of public art and collective empowerment.

Mohammad Gorjestani, founder of Even/Odd, developed 1-800 Happy Birthday in collaboration with the respective families, which originated as a digital voicemail archive: a platform where loved ones and the public could leave birthday messages for individuals killed by police. Since then it has evolved into an adaptive, interdisciplinary project that can take many forms, including an interactive exhibition organized in 2022 by Gorjestani and commissioned by WORTHLESSSTUDIOS, comprising a series of four short films about the histories of the families who have experienced loss due to police violence and systemic racism and now, into a series of public installations and activations.

1-800 Happy Birthday will be the centerpiece of The Plaza at 300 Ashland in the form of a Phone Booth that plays voicemails left for all 15 celebrants that are part of the project: Dujuan Armstrong, Sandra Bland, Michael Brown, Philando Castile, Stephon Clark, Fred Cox, George Floyd, Derrick Gaines, Eric Garner, Oscar Grant, Rolin Hill, Xzavier Hill, Donovon Lynch, Sean Monterrosa, Tony Robinson and Mario Woods. The booth itself serves as an altar, commemorating their lives with archival photographs and decorations. The installation will also serve as a gathering place for community events and programming. Presented in partnership with Downtown Brooklyn Partnership and Two Trees Management Co.

Additional partners include the L10 Arts and Cultural Center, Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA), the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL Presents), 651Arts and Brooklyn Academy of Music. Public Programming, in partnership with Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, MoCADA and the Brooklyn Public Library, will be announced soon. The installation will run from September 4 to December 4, and is viewable 24 hours a day.