Edward Adeolu Akinrinmade
About
Eddy Ade Akin is an independent curator based in London.
He is a Master's student in Information Experience Design at the Royal College of Art (London). He is one of the first twelve Black students awarded the scholarship on behalf of RCA Alumni/Painter Sir Frank Bowling.
He graduated from Central Saint Martins (London) in 2020. He studied Culture, Criticism, and Curation; his critical research was ethnographical, and also followed the structure of cultural institutions and policy.
He believes in the intricate beauty of solace and enjoys time spent indoors developing as an individual. His love for the magnificent outdoors extends from Astronomy and long periods immersed in the natural world.
An adept storyteller via sonic, and visual art forms, a thread that enjoins Akin's various outcomes is how the British Born Nigerian weaves together narratives from his personal life with the developed canon of Post-colonial discourse.
Statement
My curatorial and art-making practices are a journey into possibility. Using art as my compass, I explore communicative subtleties of epistemology on a local, national, and international scale.
Cultural theory and knowledge sharing motivate me to provide compelling and contemporary experiences. Forward-thinking artistic experiences empower both artists and audiences to explore beyond the obligatory and explore different approaches to understanding.
Since studying at the Royal College of Art, my practice has progressed from its ethnographical roots; developed a more focused lens on the relationship between mind, body, and environment.
In doing so, my practice evolved into 'research via making', with a specific focus on the following.
. The relationship between humans and non-humans.
. The relationship between humans and materiality.
. The concept of self.
. Defining notions of public and private memory.
(Re)negotiating Space: A Polyphonic Audio Program
In collaboration with: Adaiya Granberry and Nathanael Amadou Kliebhan
An audiovisual experience presented during the 2023 IRCAM Forum Workshops in Paris at the Centre Pompidou.
(Re)negotiating Space explores the dynamic qualities of sound to transcend cultural boundaries and colonial borders. Throughout history, Black people have created new modes of communication, evading while simultaneously being shaped by our shared histories of colonization and exploitation. This project aims to put the sonic consequences of this history in conversation – appreciating moments of both harmony and dissonance to highlight our trajectories of radical assemblage and resilience.
What are the sociocultural implications of sound? How can sound be employed in the movement toward collective liberation? What are the possibilities for a Black sonic lingua franca? Bridging a myriad of fragmented sounds, voices, and visuals, (re)negotiating space is a disembodied representation of the vibrant sonic nuances of the Black diaspora.
Humble Abode
'Humble Abode' is a two-channel audiovisual questioning of the mysteries associated with natural materials like mud and mud brick. To explore this from a post-colonial perspective, Akin assembles altered archive footage with altered sketches (using stable diffusion) to generate epic scenes inspired by Barn Swallow migration, Mudplanes, Mud Gully Erosion, and the Mud-brick megastructures from West African pre-history.
The narrative sends viewers into scenes of dystopian reality. The senses are engaged through a self-produced score juxtaposed with lines from Alfred Lord Tennyson's classic poem "O Swallow".
"As time progressed, these sustainably built- conservations of African memory have been reclaimed by nature.. lost to folklore. However, they survived the builders. Whenever I visit the land of my heritage, I naturalise to an indigenous, spiritualised, and ecological perspective toward earthen construction technology. Here I encode my research journey mapping it alongside the sorry of Barn Swallow living and migration habits."