Jitterbug

Room of Now
Wednesday 9 March to Sunday 8 May
Free entry

A new short film by award-winning artist Ayo Akingbade explores the sense of displacement felt by a teenage girl and her family, set in the borough of Hackney.

The latest in a series of films by Akingbade exploring social housing in London in a time of rampant gentrification, Jitterbug is a soulful portrait of a teenager's coming of age just as their community is being torn apart.

The film chronicles a day in the life of eighteen-year-old student Afeni Omolade, who lives with her parents and younger brother in a Hackney council block. Afeni is on the cusp of leaving home to realise her dream of studying History of Art at Cambridge University when unexpected news suddenly hits.

About the artist

Ayo Akingbade is an artist, writer and director based in London known for her uplifting and compelling films exploring the rapidly changing dynamic of her home city. Having grown up in Hackney, Akingbade's film was shot on location in the borough and in places that were important to her growing up.

Akingbade's short films have won international awards and been presented at festivals worldwide. Selected screenings and exhibitions include: A Glittering City: Ayo Akingbade with Duchamp & Sons, Whitechapel Gallery, London; An Infinity of Traces, Lisson Gallery, London (both 2021); Towner International Biennial, Towner Art Gallery, Eastbourne (2020); No News Today, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London (2019); and Urban Rhapsodies, Film Society of Lincoln Center, New York (2017).

Co-commissioned by Museum of the Home and Artangel.

You can read an essay about the film and the themes it explores by Rebecca Omonira-Oyekanmi read the essay