Royal Academician Isaac Julien’s filmmaking, photographic and cinematic processes are largely informed by historical research and the use of archival sources, combining visual and theoretical investigations. His works, flowing along poetic narratives, do not adhere to linearity but evolve in a musical notational choreography. He says, ‘I pay great attention to set décor, lighting, performance, mise-en-scène, as well as editing, sonic, and visual effects to create a space for meditation on political and cultural questions.’

The title of this piece references Sir Walter Scott’s poem The Lady of the Lake: in 1838, at the age of 20, abolitionist Frederick Douglass escaped to freedom via the Underground Railroad, a network of secret routes and safe houses established during the 19th century and used by enslaved African Americans to escape into free states and Canada. That year, he married Anna Murray and the couple took Douglass as their married name, inspired by the main character from the aforementioned poem. They remained married for 44 years until Anna’s death in 1882.

Lessons of the Hour: Frederick Douglass is a poetic meditation on the life and times of Frederick Douglass and includes single and multiple-screen film installations, photographs and tintypes, in a contemplative journey into Douglass’ zeitgeist and its relationship to contemporaneity. The piece articulates excerpts of Douglass’ most arresting speeches and allusions to his private and public milieus, resonating some of the cultural and political themes addressed by the artist throughout his career.