John Akomfrah: Purple | Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston

Co-commissioned by the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston and making its U.S. premiere at the ICA Watershed, Purple is an immersive six-channel video installation by the acclaimed artist and filmmaker John Akomfrah (b. 1957, Accra, Ghana). Akomfrah draws from hundreds of hours of archival footage, combining it with newly shot film and a hypnotic sound score to address themes related to the implications of climate change across the planet and its effects on human communities, biodiversity, and the wilderness. Sited in the post-industrial ICA Watershed building, Purple resonates deeply with Boston Harbor and its current and historical maritime industries. Speaking from the Watershed, Akomfrah discusses the impetus behind the work, its relevance today, the complexity of its soundscape, and bringing the work to life in this reclaimed space.