A Lament that Lacks
By Peter Humfrey
Earlier this month the ‘A Lament for Power’ exhibition opened at the Tolbooth, as part of the Stirling Science Festival and coinciding with Black History Month.
The Lament takes the form of a digitally animated short film, from artists, Larry Achiampong and David Blandy, that explores “ the ethics of scientific discovery” inspired by the true story of Henrietta Lacks, or ‘HeLa’.
It cycles through various scenes, starting with a wooden hut, moving through a lab, a hospital campus, a slum, and corridors with a voiceover that explores the concepts of ownership and exploitation in the name of scientific discovery.
The context for the piece comes from the story of Henrietta Lacks, a black woman who was diagnosed with cancer in 1951 at John Hopkins hospital, in the US. A sample was taken and, unlike others collected up to that point, the cells in the sample survived and multiplied.
The cells became known as “immortal” and to this day have directly contributed to breakthroughs in cancer treatment, vaccinations, and a wide variety of other medical treatments.
What makes this story so compelling and controversial is that, whilst the cells are being used even today, the Lacks family did not become aware of, nor were asked consent for the usage of the cells until the mid-70s.
The Henrietta Lacks story has prompted introspection about consent and privacy issues with some, including presumably the artists for the Lament, viewing the usage of her cells as exploitation.
Whilst the piece explores a profoundly important and incredibly interesting piece of recent history, it lacks the emotional punch that the topic should evoke. The animation feels very basic, almost dated, and comical, and the dialogue feels monotonous at points, droning away in the background. There will be many that can engage with this piece but for those with short attention spans or an inability to focus easily the Lament lacks any real pull. The piece definitely isn’t one that will appeal to children which is a disappointment as the topic is compelling and an important lesson for younger generations on the impact and contribution made by a person of colour.
Credit must be given though to Achiampong and Blandy, who have delved into a topic that few, if any, will have given much thought to and given much-needed exposure to a historical figure of who many people are unaware. Illustrating this exact point is that of the 20 or so people I have discussed this exhibition with; students, taxi drivers, cleaners, and people from all walks of life; just one had heard of Henrietta Lacks. This person was a high school biology teacher.
The story of Henrietta Lacks is one that is woefully unknown and unappreciated, so whilst the piece isn’t particularly engaging it is something I could recommend to at least go and sit throw the 4-5 minutes that piece lasts.
The Lament comes against the backdrop of Black History Month, which runs throughout October, with the exhibition being in the Tolbooth from the 6th to 29th October. The exhibition is free to all and comes as the result of a 9-month residency by Achiampong and Blandy at the University of Essex.