AKUMA
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Digital stills, AKUMA, single channel video, 14 mins
AKUMA follows a young artist and her daemon as they prepare to take part in a space mission. The film utilises cinematic and artistic tropes to discuss broader concerns related to the role of contemporary arts practice in society and the role of relationships and narratives in our agency.
By warping familiar imagery and archetypal narratives, this work explores the concept of a supposed linear progress of evolution and the disparate knowledges within, as the viewer follows AKUMA’s trajectory towards spaceflight. The video enacts various fascinations towards and dependencies on light, including the idea of ascension, projection, illumination and growth. These facets of evolution have been instrumental in humans’ plans to colonise other planets and the western phenomenon of progress under individualism. AKUMA’s story reveals the fallibility and inter-reliance involved in any journey on Earth and beyond.
Starring Ellen Duggan as AKUMA
Written, Directed, Filmed and Edited by Aifric Prior Beliere
Music by Aifric Prior Beliere and Dougie Sealy
With thanks to Chris Leonard and Una Sealy
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