Apology Box
Digital Media Intervention
Realized Through a 24-Hour Durational Performance
July 16–17, 2025
Video documentation below
Apology Box is a 24-hour digital media intervention realized through a durational performance and livestreamed public participation.
The project was created in response to the growing demand for public accountability placed disproportionately on queer and marginalized bodies in digital culture.
For 24 hours, Vita Kari remained physically confined inside a transparent box while publicly reading anonymous apologies submitted by participants in real time.
The work functioned simultaneously as a livestreamed media event, a live performance, and a participatory platform. Submissions ranged from personal and political to absurd and unresolved, shaping the work as it unfolded. Public participation was not supplemental but central to the structure of the piece.
Created through a queer and disability-centered lens informed by the artist’s deafness, Apology Box examines shame, visibility, and the social pressure to apologize.
Reach and Impact
Apology Box was livestreamed continuously for 24 hours across multiple digital platforms, allowing participants to engage remotely while the performance unfolded live inside the gallery.
The project generated sustained engagement throughout its duration, resulting in over 1200 anonymous submissions in real time and ongoing public discussion during and after the livestream.
Through voluntary audience donations tied to participation, Apology Box raised several thousand dollars in support of LGBTQ health care initiatives, including gender-affirming care, as well as a queer-run DACA support fund.
Press and Coverage
Apology Box received mainstream media coverage, including a feature in W Magazine.
Video Documentation
Project Overview
Short contextual overview of the performance, structure, and intent.
Process Documentation: First 10 Hours
Unedited excerpt demonstrating the durational and participatory nature of the work.
Public Participation
Members of the public were invited to submit anonymous apologies during the livestream. Participation was free, with optional donations unlocking expanded readings and performative responses.
All submissions were read live without attribution, allowing participants to release unresolved or unspoken apologies without exposure or consequence.
Livestream Archive
Full livestream recordings are currently being prepared for archival presentation. Additional documentation will be made available as the project continues to circulate and be cited.
Apology Box represents a shift in my practice from virality as spectacle toward durational, participatory queer accountability. While my broader work has reached millions through digital platforms, this project intentionally slowed digital consumption into a sustained, embodied exchange. The work combines livestream media, performance, and anonymous public participation to examine how apology, shame, and accountability are unevenly demanded of queer and disabled bodies in contemporary culture.