In a striking aerial installation, artist Jammie Holmes sent airplanes trailed by banners containing some of George Floyd’s last words into the skies of five US cities.
Over the weekend, banners reading “Please I can’t breathe” and “They’re going to kill me” were seen trailing airplanes above Detroit and New York City respectively. The other three, flown across Los Angeles, Miami and Dallas, read “My stomach hurts,” “My neck hurts” and “Everything hurts” — words heard in a video filmed by a bystander and widely circulated on social media.
In a press release, the artist said his elaborate project was inspired by “a need for unity and the understanding that what happened to George Floyd is happening all over America.”
“Our mothers are burying us way too early,” Holmes added. “My fiancée shouldn’t worry every time I’m headed out of the house on my own. Yes, I carry a pistol, Mr. Officer. I carry it to protect myself from you by any means necessary.
