John Gerrard's 'SPIRITS' Turns Ocean Plastic into Browser-Based Art at LACMA

Irish artist John Gerrard, known for eerily realistic digital simulations, has launched 'SPIRITS,' a year-long browser-based artwork at LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) running through December 21, 2026. The project began on Evgónimos beach on the Greek island of Karpathos, where Gerrard collected 96 worn sandals and shoes from beaches across four oceans. Each shoe was photoscanned into high-resolution gaussian splats that stream into viewers' devices as infinite, sculptural, living forms. The work debuted on the Summer Solstice with a 4,000-person 'SPIRITS DANCE' featuring Richie Hawtin under the new Geffen building designed by Peter Zumthor. Gerrard describes the piece as an amplification from landscape into network, exploring power and energy. The work is often mistaken for 2D JPEGs but actually comprises infinite auditory and spatial worlds realized in the browser. Gerrard, also known as Jesy, is 51 and based between Ireland, Spain, Austria, and the US.