Art by John Gerrard

Gerrard doesn't make videos in the traditional sense; he builds continuously running, real-time 3D simulations, using game-engine software, that mirror actual locations down to the position of the sun on any given day and season. Western Flag (2017) depicts black smoke rising in the shape of a flag from the site of the first major Texas oil gusher, a loop that runs in real time, tied to the real sunlight of that specific place. Solar Reserve, an earlier simulation, was donated to LACMA by Leonardo DiCaprio in 2015. His most recent work, SPIRITS, launched through LACMA in September 2025, uses 3D scans of 96 plastic shoes and sandals gathered from beaches worldwide, running for a full year with special events synced to the solstices and equinoxes.