Laila Jhané

I’ve been trying to find the words to describe this past weekend. Seeing an idea I had come to life—and watching people genuinely enjoy it—filled me with so much pride. The funniest interaction was when two kids were playing around the installation and their mom pulled them away. They came back and started touching things again. She said, “No, don’t walk in there,” and I jumped in: “Actually, they can walk in!” Then she said, “Well, don’t touch anything,” and I replied, “They can touch too!” This wasn’t just an experience for children—adults were just as captivated and playful. To me, that means so much more than just staring at art from a distance. Actually being part of the art, experiencing it with all your senses—that’s what makes it rewarding. This is the direction I want to keep exploring. Thank you @fultonpublicart , specifically Tisha and Kathleen, for believing in me and my vision, and for giving me the space to experiment. Thank you @chanellangeli_ for understanding exactly what I was going for and adding your own creative twist to it. And thank you to Marcy, Nancy, and Connie for your unwavering support. This is just the beginning—stay tuned for more!

CITY IN A FOREST QUEST Atlanta Art Fair (Sept 25–28, 2025) is almost here! In anticipation of our installation — a collaboration between @chanellangeli_ and myself, presented with @fultonpublicart — I have teamed up with @skylarknova to launch City in a Forest Quest, a self-guided art + nature scavenger hunt across Atlanta. To celebrate, I am giving away three prizes to three winners: 🥇 Atlanta Art Fair Ticket 🥈 Pocket City Replica 🥉 30-Minute AI Creative Chat with me Download the Quest guide (link in bio) Sign up for Skylark to unlock the quest! Complete the quests and share your journey on Instagram tagging @lailasherself @chanellangeli_ @skylarknova @fultonpublicart Winners will be announced Wednesday, Sept 24 — just in time for the fair.

I’ll be speaking here this Thursday! AI is here, and it’s changing everything about documentary filmmaking. The question isn’t IF you’ll use AI—it’s HOW you’ll use it responsibly and effectively. Join us October 9th for the Film Impact & AI Summit - a live virtual event designed specifically for small doc teams! What you’ll get: 🌟 Clear, jargon-free AI understanding (no tech background needed!) 🤖 Live demos of practical AI tools for research, strategy & outreach 💌 An accountability framework for responsible AI use 🎉 Hands-on workshop where you’ll actually FINISH and SEND your film newsletter (finally!) You’ll leave with: ✅ A plug-and-play prompt library ✅ Confidence to integrate AI into your workflow✅ Your newsletter written, designed & sent ✅ 30-day replay access BONUS: Complete our AI survey by Sept 30th and get an exclusive discount code! Go to This isn’t just theory—it’s a hands-on day that will transform how you approach your film’s impact campaign. Ready to stop feeling overwhelmed by AI and start using it strategically? Save Your Spot at #DocumentaryFilmmaking #FilmImpact #AIForFilmmakers #DocFilm #FilmCommunity #SocialImpact #LookyLookyPictures #AIWorkshop #FilmStrategy

✨ Process + results from our Pepper’s Ghost workshop with artist Laila Jhané at the Public Art Futures Lab. Presented as part of @facefultoncounty @fultonarts and the @atlartfair Atlanta Art Fair, the workshop connected to “City in a Forest”, the collaborative installation by @lailasherself and @chanellangeli_ , which used similar illusion techniques on a larger scale alongside motion tracking and other technologies. Guests explored the long and much debated history of the Pepper’s Ghost illusion, possibly stretching back to ancient Persia, before building their own miniatures. Each created content for their piece by editing their own photos or digital artwork or experimenting with generative AI to produce short video clips. Then came the making: measuring, cutting, and carefully angling reflective surfaces to reveal a floating, phantom-like image. It was a night of history, creativity, and hands-on play with illusion and technology. Thank you to everyone who joined us.

Encounter ‘City in a Forest’ at #AtlantaArtFair 🏙️🌳 Created by Atlanta-based artist and technologist Laila Jhané (@lailaherself ) with Chanell Angeli (@chanellangeli_ ), the installation reflects on Atlanta’s tree canopy and hidden ecosystems that shape both the city and our inner worlds. Commissioned by the Public Art Futures Lab at Fulton County Arts & Culture (@FultonPublicArt ), the work continues @FultonArts ’ mission of supporting artists at the intersection of public art and technology. Plan your visit to experience more at #AtlantaArtFair2025. — ⏲ Opening Hours: Saturday, September 27 | 11am—7pm Sunday, September 28 | 11am—6pm — 📍 @prattpullmandistrict

The Public Art Futures Lab is LIVE at the Atlanta Art Fair happening NOW at Pullman Yards! Don’t miss the magnificent installation “City in a Forest” by Atlanta based artist & technologist Laila Jhané, in collaboration with Chanell Angeli, on view through Sunday. Plus, catch FCAC’s Kathleen Brown on the Art & Tech Panel this Sunday, 9/28 from 12–1 PM. Come experience the magic where art, innovation, and technology meet. #AtlantaArtFair #PublicArtFuturesLab #CityInAForest #FCAC #ArtAndTech

💡✨ Workshop Spotlight: Creation Is My Currency ✨💡⁠ ⁠ As part of AVC Fest 2025, we’re diving into the future of art + technology with Creation Is My Currency — an interactive session that explores how AI and blockchain are reshaping creative production, distribution, and ownership.⁠ ⁠ What to expect:⁠ 🗣 A conversation on the challenges creators face today + how new tools open possibilities⁠ 🎴 Nova Game Activation — a collaborative card-based exercise to reimagine your creative projects⁠ 🖥 Hands-on exploration with Skylark, a platform for gamified storytelling & community-building⁠ ⁠ Perfect for filmmakers, artists, dancers, storytellers, and community builders ready to expand how they think about ownership and creativity.⁠ ⁠ 📅 Saturday, Oct 4 | 3:30 PM | Eyedrum Art Space⁠ 🎟 RSVP →Link in bio ⁠ ⁠ Come curious. Leave empowered. 🚀

✨ We’ve been so deep in building our next exhibition that we almost forgot to share the big news ✨ The Public Art Futures Lab has been awarded a Cultural Partner booth at Atlanta Art Fair 2025! You can find us at Booth C5 in Porter Hall at Pullman Yards, September 25 - 28. Check the link on @atlartfair bio for tix information. We’ll be premiering City in a Forest, an immersive installation by new media artist Laila Jhané, created in collaboration with Chanell Angeli. Rooted in projection, illusion, and a layered environment of living and hybrid forest - the work transforms the booth into an encounter with a living shifting landscape of Atlanta. At the Fulton County Arts & Culture Public Art Futures Lab, our mission is to explore where art + technology intersect: supporting artists through residencies, community workshops, and by expanding access to the tools and knowledge needed to create tech-integrated public art. — Image Descriptions: 1. @atlartfair 2. Detail of City in a Forest render. Incorporated into her immersive installation, new media artist, Laila Jhané is transforming her own images and renderings through an open source AI model to merge scenes of Atlanta with her lived encounters of the natural world. 4. @lailasherself Laila Jhané’s work explores memory, identity, and place through immersive installations and technology-driven storytelling. 5. Visual artist and poet @chanellangeli_ works with sculpture, robotics, and blended living greenery to honor lineage, femininity, and spiritual resilience. 6. The Futures Lab located in @underground_atlanta is a home for public art focused artist residencies, tech-driven exhibitions, and community access to creative tools. We can’t wait to share this experience with you at #AtlantaArtFair. @atlartfair @artmarketproductions @fultonarts

If you’re in the Atlanta area, you gotta check out this immersive art experience designed by @lailasherself ! With 15+ locations all over Atlanta, she creates a journey to help amplify the history of Atlanta being the city within a forest!! Each location has special quests and gems to find. It is truly an example of the type of creative community building that we strive to see more of here at Skylark. Peep the link in her bio to participate!!

FREE WORKSHOP ALERT ‼️ Build your very own illusion ✨ RSVP to join us Thursday, October 2 at the Public Art Futures Lab for Creating a Pepper’s Ghost Illusion with AI Tools, a hands-on workshop with artist + technologist @lailasherself Learn how to turn everyday tech into immersive art, and leave with your own miniature holographic display featuring AI-generated visuals. Laila will share insights from her large-scale Pepper’s Ghost installation, City in a Forest that will be oremiering at @atlartfair then guide participants in building their own take-home illusion. 📍 Public Art Futures Lab | Underground Atlanta 🗓 Thursday, 10/2 | 6–8:30PM 🎟 Limited RSVP RSVP now at the link in @fultonpublicart bio! This event is part of @facefultoncounty @fultonarts @fultonpublicart

Thank you so much to @soyoulovelucy for having me on to speak last week. I love giving an artist’s perspective on these important conversations. It makes me reflect on how I can be part of the solution, and I hope it inspires you to consider the same.

@silkk_tha_chakras music visual! Link in bio. Song: Pollodeck