4K Video, 2024
A Pledge is a work that explores the interconnected states of generational trauma, mental and physical health and communal agency. The film begins with the story of a driver and his strained relationship with his father. Depicted through a third-person monologue (voiced by Larry’s son, Sinai Lee Achiampong-Rose), the segment addresses issues of abandonment, inherited trauma and seclusion, whilst holding the rejuvenated promise of connection through the act of driving which the motorist and his father share.
A repurposed Game Boy Camera is used to capture moving images to present the story like a driving-based videogame. Shot in 4K resolution at 60 frames per second, the second part of the film depicts a father and son engaging in the practice of Gōjū-Ryū Karate. ‘Gōjū-Ryū’ (剛柔流) is a Japanese term meaning ‘hard-soft style’ used in traditional Okinawan Karate to describe the combination of hard and soft techniques.
A Pledge forms part of an ongoing project titled GH0ST_DATA_, a series of films in development by the artist which delve into the relationship between depression, black masculinity, and digital anxiety.
A Pledge, produced with funding from Stanley Picker Gallery, Kingston University.