Akomfrah's Isolating Tundra: The Alaskan Landscape And British Immigration
Filmmaker John Akomfrah’s Nine Muses (2010) uses the imagery of the Alaskan tundra to explore the isolating experience that many African citizens faced when immigrating to Britain. We investigate this striking work, exploring the fascinating comparison that Akomfrah has created.
Ghanaian-born English filmmaker John Akomfrah (known for his film Handsworth Songs, 1987) has created a film about the African immigrant experiences in Britain with breathtaking archival moving pictures of the windswept Alaskan tundra and of England’s West Midlands. This striking contrast and comparison uses the cold, sombre terrain of the tundra to convey the cold, harsh and even dangerous experience of reaching vast and unfamiliar shores. Despite this however, the landscape is breathtakingly and undeniably beautiful, creating further depth in this intriguing work.
Titled Nine Muses, the work is a collision of noise, narrative and moving image woven together to create a new and strange landscape that evokes the sense of loneliness and loss faced by immigrants entering alien lands. It is also historically-situated, showing the daily lives of African migrants who entered Britain following the British Nationality Act of 1948. Nine Muses is the full-length version of Akomfrah’s video installation, Mnemosyne. This name comes from Greek pantheon, with Mnemosyne – the personification of memory – being the mother of the Muses who together form a complete picture of the poetic art.
Described as a ‘cinepoem’, this film builds an elegant trauerspiel – a song cycle of mourning and remembrance – on the foundations of English literature. Just like Shakespeare and Dylan Thomas, Milton and Sophocles, this piece coheres to create an epic poem that evokes the arduous and unpredictable nature of migration.
Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.
Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.
Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.
Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.
We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.
Culture Trip Spring Sale
Save up to $1,100 on our unique small-group trips! Limited spots.
