A Story About Incarceration And Freedom
Bird is an interactive, immersive virtual experience where players explore the memories and artwork of Darrell Fair. Darrell is an artist, activist, mentor, and is currently represented by the Exoneration Project. He maintains that he was wrongfully convicted in 1998 due to a coerced confession, and has been serving time in Illinois ever since. Bird is a documentary, a virtual art gallery, and a video game all at once. The narrative is entirely driven from interviews with Darrell, but the framework of the game is based on Michelle Alexander’s “The New Jim Crow,” which compared racism and mass incarceration in the U.S. to a Birdcage. The project will be released in the Fall of 2024 on Steam, with an original soundtrack recorded by the Grammy winning choir, The Crossing.
Virtual Gallery
Explore the memories, artwork, and audio interviews of artist and activist Darrell Fair. Piece together his story through tableaus that recount his passions, his family, and ultimately the loss of his freedom.
Museum Interactions
Players will interact with projectors and telephones, as if screening a film about Darrell’s life before and after incarceration.
Hand Drawn Animations
Artwork and animations were created by Darrell Fair inside of Stateville Correctional Center.
