π Overview:
The subject matter of Memory Room 451 is the cultural and historical significance of 20th-century hairstyles β the Afro, the conk, dreadlocks β in Black communities on both sides of the Atlantic. Akomfrah has disguised this exploration as a science fiction story β in the manner of the groundbreaking writers profiled in The Last Angel of History β while providing a bravura display of the aesthetics of video art in the 1990s. The tale of visitors from the future who gather dreams from unwitting subjects in order to construct a history of the Black diaspora both defamiliarizes Akomfrahβs ongoing project and points to the danger that extracting history from memory can be a kind of expropriation.
π Languages Available:
English
π Date Released:
1996-01-01
β Running Time:
25 mins
β Vote Average:
4.5