Aifric Prior Beliere

Akuma

For this exhibition, I made a video that follows a young artist named Akuma and her daemon as they embark on a speculative space mission. The video is ten minutes in duration and played on a continuous loop comprised of scenes related to surrealism and the language of storytelling, theatre and cinema. Light acts as the most fundamental device to form this work, both materially and ideologically, as the viewer follows Akuma’s trajectory towards spaceflight.

The making of this work involved a collaborative process with space for the aleatory and a curiosity for the possibilities of the subjects involved. This way of working enabled a fundamental interest in the agency and enactment between subjects to inform my writing, filming and editing of this piece. The sound consists of a collaged collection of female voices including astronomers, astronauts, businesswomen and a popstar, as well as that of Akuma who is played by Ellen Duggan. The piece also features an original score I created in collaboration with Dougie Sealy. The film utilises media associated with artistic practice such as sculpture, writing, music, painting and performance. These are fragmented and imbricated in the context of a hero’s journey to imply a recognition of influences inherent to experiences such as circumstance, material and immaterial intra-actions. For Akuma, these influences revolve around her identity and a sense of purpose.

By warping familiar imagery and archetypal narratives, this work explores the concept of a supposed linear progress of evolution and the disparate knowledges within. The film 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 human’s plans to colonise other planets and the western phenomenon of progress under individualism. I hope that the film can explore the fallibility and inter-reliance involved in any journey on Earth and beyond.