Alberta Whittle, ‘Lagareh – The Last Born’ | Aberdeen University
25 January 2023 at 18:00
MOVEMENT | DIVINE TASINDA AND EOIN DARA IN CONVERSATION
LUX Scotland and Scotland + Venice are delighted to host a screening of ‘Lagareh – The Last Born’ at the MacRobert Building, University of Aberdeen. This work, which was commissioned by Scotland + Venice and Forma for the 59th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia and now tours to six venues across Scotland, was originally scheduled to be shown at Belmont Filmhouse. Due to its closure in October 2022, a significant loss within the cultural ecology of the North East of Scotland, the George Washington Wilson Centre for Art and Visual Culture have kindly offered to provide a venue for the event.
‘Lagareh’ – which translates from the Mandinka language as ‘The Last Born’ – is a work anchored around theories of abolition, rebellion, ancestral knowledge and love. Shot in Scotland, England, Barbados, Sierra Leone and Italy, the film melds a collection of scenes that give focus to the strength of contemporary Black womxn, whose individual acts of resistance are bound together through the artist’s conceptual storytelling. The artist situates Black love in proximity with historical sites of trauma, re-inscribed with rage, hope and exhaustion. Gestures, rituals and moments of intimacy are poignantly underpinned by a deep reflection on grief, loss and mourning, a resolute reminder of the trauma inflicted upon the Black body and of white privilege and power.
The screening will be followed by a conversation between dancer and choreographer Divine Tasinda, who features in ‘Lagareh – The Last Born’, and curator Eoin Dara. This discussion will focus upon ‘movement’ as an interpretive framework for discussion, to weave connections between the artist’s specific aesthetic decisions, anti-racist and pro-black advocacy, and Scotland’s historic connections to the Transatlantic slave trade.
Content warning: this film contains references to grief, racism, chattel slavery, and police brutality, which may also feature in the discussion.
BOOKING + ACCESS
This event is free to attend, but ticketed through Eventbrite.
The film is captioned and the discussion will be live captioned.
Room MR051 is located on the ground floor within the MacRobert Building at the University of Aberdeen. This venue is wheelchair accessible, and more information about venue access can be found here.
A small access fund is available to support audience attendance, which may be used for transport, or the cost of childcare, carers or support workers. For further information please email [email protected]