Audio Composition, 2015 - 17
Finding Fanon is a series of collaborative works with David Blandy inspired by the lost plays of Frantz Fanon, (1925 - 1961) a politically radical humanist whose practice dealt with the psychopathology of colonisation and the social and cultural consequences of decolonisation.
Across the films the two artists negotiate Fanon’s ideas, examining the politics of race, racism and the post-colonial, and how these societal issues affect their relationship.
Finding Fanon Part 1 the artists conflict is played out through a script that melds found texts and personal testimony. Navigating the past, present and future, Achiampong and Blandy question the promise of globalisation, recognising its impact on their own heritage.
Finding Fanon Part 2 collides art-house cinema with digital culture’s Machinima, resulting in a work that explores the post-colonial condition from inside a simulated environment – the Grand Theft Auto 5 in-game video editor.
Finding Fanon Part 3 follows the artist and their children in a narrative surrounding reconstruction, rejuvenation, and the (im)possibility of reconciliation, as conversations and conflicts between the pair pass from one generation to the next.
The project includes synth-driven soundtracks composed by Larry Achiampong.
Finding Fanon, produced with support from Arts Council England
© Larry Achiampong & David Blandy