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Join us for the evening preview of John Akomfrah: Vertigo Sea

Join us for the exhibition preview of John Akomfrah’s acclaimed video installation Vertigo Sea.

First seen at the Venice Biennale, this three-screen film work is a sensual, poetic meditation of man’s relationship with the sea and an exploration of its role in the history of slavery, migration and conflict.

As a companion to Vertigo Sea Arnolfini will also show a new work Tropikos, an experimental drama set in the 16th century. 

Shown together, these two lyrical and melancholic films propose a ‘voyage of discovery’, a meditation on water and the unconscious, referring specifically to the passage of migration into the UK. Placed in the context of Bristol, the films connect to this city’s complicated maritime history and its position as port – a point at both the start and end of epic journeys in the past and the present.


Arnolfini’s presentation of Vertigo Sea is supported by an award through the Arts Council England’s Strategic Touring Fund. During 2016 and 2017,Vertigo Sea will tour to partner venues in the UK including Turner Contemporary in Margate and The Whitworth, Manchester.

Tropikos is a 70th Anniversary Commission for the Arts Council Collection, Southbank Centre London, with the River Tamar Project and Smoking Dogs Films.


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