This video features footage of an interactive photo series prototype installation called Pass the Crown: Voices & Memory, created by multi-hyphenate artist & photographer, Pri the Honeydark. Pass the Crown is an editorial photo series honoring BIPOC individuals living with dementia. The series was inspired by Pri's late grandmother who passed away from dementia. A few prior to her passing, Pri photographed her wearing a gold crown. That very crown is now being passed from model to model within this dementia photo series, as a symbol of honor and perseverance. For the new prototype of this series, Pri has added donated family photos and momentos to the portraits and activated those momentos using interactive AR technology. Viewers are able to scan the images with their mobile devices and watch the stories of each featured dementia model come to life via animations, and audio elements! The photo series was installed at Culture Lab LIC, NY in June 2025 in honor of Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month. Pri's goal was to see how viewers would respond to this prototype, as well as test a creative theory of using AR & machine learning ethically to tell stories of the marginalized combined with photography. Pass the Crown is on exhibit until July 27th, 2025.
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The Pass the Crown Project
“Pass the Crown” is an editorial style portrait project honoring people of color living with Dementia. The goal is to empower these individuals via compelling visual portraits that humanize their presence amongst this unfortunate illness. Dementia is not spoken of enough in the BIPOC communities, even though so many within the community are living with it.
Project Back Story: I was a 9 year long caretaker for my grandmother Grace who suffered from dementia. In fact She is the inspiration for this project all together. Grace was a retired nursing supervisor, church leader, social advocate and a community staple. She raised 3 kids on her own while working multiple jobs at once to put herself through nursing school and later in life completed studies in divinity to become a reverend. To watch dementia take over such a marvelous mind was heartbreaking. A few weeks before her passing I had a fun impromptu photoshoot with my Nana, Grace. I placed a crown on her head that I had purchased online and chose to tilt it slightly to the side for style. This was the last wonderful moment we would share with her like that in our home. A few weeks after that, she would go to be with her ancestors. Each model participant for this project is currently living with dementia, and will physically wear the same crown Grace wore on her last photo shoot. Passing the crown from model to model represents acknowledging the greatness of a person and celebrating them beyond their dementia diagnosis. Thank you for viewing and for your support….Pri (Honeydark Creative Studios)
The Pass the Crown Project was recently exhibited at the Rochdale Village Center in Queens NY, was recently featured in The Queens Chronicle, as well as Dementia Spring, and has received support funding from the Queens Arts Fund.
