Return - connecting diaspora across continents

Leeds alumna Akeelah Bertram discusses her interactive installation ‘Return’ as part of the Meet the Researchers: Cultural Connections series.

Please note this is an online event – book your place here.

Leeds alumna Akeelah Bertram will discuss how her interactive installation ‘Return’ brings art and history together to tell the story of diaspora across continents.

As an experienced, cross-disciplinary artist, Akeelah has exhibited her work both nationally and internationally. Her work blends light, sound, sculpture and interactions to create hybrid immersive environments that prioritise emotional experiences. Akeelah is interested in collective narratives, challenging perspectives and innovating modes of communication.

Akeelah returns to our alumni community for this webinar ahead of beginning her position as a Gatenby Fellow in Contemporary Art with Leeds this September.

‘Return’ was first exhibited in 2019 at Light Night Leeds. Originally conceptualised in response to the ‘door of no return’ in Elmina Castle, Cape Coast, Ghana, this developing piece explores the idea of diaspora as physical and social states of separation, and investigates how cultural connections can be facilitated across a range of geographical contexts.

Akeelah will also talk about her experience of practice-based research and how it differs from more traditional forms of research.

This event takes place as part of the Meet the Researchers: Cultural Connections webinar series

Image: taken from previous project by Akeelah Bertram, Ultiverse (2016). The Tetley, Leeds, 2018