John Akomfrah was once described by the Guardian as someone who “has secured a reputation as one of the UK’s most pioneering film-makers [whose] poetic works have grappled with race, identity and post-colonial attitudes for over three decades.” Now that’s a quote I’d have framed in on my toilet wall. (Toilets and toilet walls are after all where all awards and diplomas hang.) Akomfrah was one of the founders of the Black Audio Film Collective. A group dedicated to issues around Black identity in Britain. Akomfrah later co-founded Black Dog Films and has been the governor for British Film Institute and Film London. His work has won awards and he has been instrumental in giving black identity a voice in Britain through film and art. His work can now be seen at the Lisson Gallery in London.
I met up with a ‘slightly under the weather’ Akomfrah at Black Dog Films’ offices in Hackney where he was finalising his latest work for exhibition. His most recent work is ‘the sublime seas’. “Fusing archival material, readings from classical sources and newly shot footage, Akomfrah’s piece focuses on the disorder and cruelty of the whaling industry and juxtaposes it with scenes of many generations of migrants making epic crossings of the ocean for a better life. Shot on the island of Skye, the Faroe Islands and the Northern regions of Norway.” That’s a lot of time hanging out up North - no wonder he had a cold when I met him….(sorry!)
