Immersive poetry exhibit honors the memory of Nikki Giovanni
On the anniversary of Nikki Giovanni’s passing, an opportunity to be immersed in her presence and poetry will be available at Virginia Tech.
On Dec. 9, six of the acclaimed poet's works will be transformed into the “The Nikki Giovanni Immersive Experience” inside the Cube, the state-of-the-art theatre and high-tech laboratory at the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech. During the 15-minute multimedia exhibit, users will experience recordings of Giovanni reading the poems combined with visuals and music tailored to the poetry.
“We’re using multiple senses to engage audiences,” Meaghan Dee, associate professor of graphic design and project team member. “We think it will be really meaningful to the community, especially with it being on that day.”
The installation will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is also expected to be on display at the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria in early 2026. Both exhibits will be free to the public.
A University Distinguished Professor Emerita, Giovanni died on Dec. 9, 2024, having spent 35 years as a professor in the Department of English.
Giovanni’s poems are well known for exploring themes of childhood, joy, loss, and Black identity. Members of the project team said their hope is for visitors to connect with those same themes through familiar stories, music, and images.
Supported by the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology (ICAT) and funding provided by the Office of the President, the experience was created by an interdisciplinary team of faculty and students.
“Nikki Giovanni’s life and work captured so much of our university’s spirit, culture, and character over more than three decades,” said Virginia Tech President Tim Sands. “We wanted to give our community a special opportunity to experience her words and presence, and the Cube’s immersive technology provides the perfect venue.”
The exhibit builds on a smaller version of "The Nikki Giovanni Immersive Experience" that debuted in June to coincide with Giovanni’s public memorial service. That installation included two poems, “Ego Tripping” and “Nikki Rosa.”
“We started this installation in a small way, and we have the opportunity to extend it and offer it to more people,” said Lisa McNair, co-interim executive director of ICAT. “We want to continue celebrating her life.”
The most recent project is one of the first pieces created for ICAT’s newly developed Cube High Immersive Projection System, according to David Franusich, multimedia designer with the institute. The visuals combine animated collages, embodied motion, and other layered elements.
“It is basically a cube of projection … with three screens 17 feet wide and 11 feet tall. The visuals fill your field of view,” Franusich said.
Using the Cube’s high-density loudspeaker array, visitors will be surrounded by sounds, including having Giovanni’s voice, as recorded at different times in her life, move with them throughout the exhibit.
“When you’re seeing the visuals paired with Nikki’s voice, it gives you a better understanding of who Nikki was,” said Demetrya Dye, a junior majoring in graphic design who worked on the project. “The visuals really help elevate her voice.”
To bring the project to life, Dee helped assemble a team from the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design; the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences; University Libraries; and ICAT as well as several students studying graphic design and creative technologies.
The project team was assembled in 2024, prior to Giovanni’s death, and Dee worked with Giovanni’s wife, Virginia Fowler, to get consent to work with her poetry. Giovanni’s close friend Gena Chandler helped select the poems most reflective of the themes of the poet’s work and life.
“She was a uniquely wonderful, sensitive, thoughtful, intelligent, brilliant human being and artist,” said Chandler, associate professor of English. “She lived a full, rich life, sharing her art and her imagination with the world.”
