Portsmouth Honorary Doctorate Recipient John Akomfrah to Show Multi-Screen Film at Natural History Museum

Internationally acclaimed artist, filmmaker and Portsmouth alumni John Akomfrah's multi-screen film installation has made its way from the coast to London's Natural History Museum.

Graduating with a degree in sociology from Portsmouth Polytechnic (now the University of Portsmouth), John Akomfrah received a honorary doctorate from Portsmouth University in 2014, and was further selected to represent the UK at the 2024 Venice Biennale.

Visitors to the Natural History Museum will be able to see the London debut of Arcadia by internationally acclaimed artist and filmmaker Sir John Akomfrah, one of Britain’s most influential contemporary artists.

Opening on Friday 6 November, the mesmerising, free-to-visit multi-screen installation explores the lasting environmental and social impacts of the Columbian Exchange - the widespread transfer of plants, people, animals, precious metals, commodities, technology, diseases and ideas between the Americas and Afro-Eurasia from the 1400s onwards.  

Across five screens, and previously on display at The Box in Plymouth, past and present unfold simultaneously in a cinematic journey through migration, trade, colonialism and the natural world. Surprising and immersive, Arcadia reveals unexpected connections between humanity and the world we have shaped—and that has shaped us.

Sir John Akomfrah says: “It is very special that the Natural History Museum have chosen to present Arcadia – a film installation exploring the profound relationship between humans and the changing natural world – alongside one of the world's greatest scientific collections. In Arcadia, I was thinking about the transfer of people, plants, animals and pathogens between the Americas, Europe and Afro-Eurasia, going back to a time before colonial violence to explore what other, less visible forms of power were also at work – knowing that humans are never the only actors on the historical stage. Having these journeys in dialogue with those present in the museum, from Charles Darwin’s Beagle voyage, to the pilgrimage of the rare meteorites on view, will hopefully allow the NHM’s vast and diverse audiences to experience something different, and even consider our collective and individual histories in a new way.”

Breathtaking visuals of landscapes from across the globe simultaneously take centre stage on five screens, accompanied by an evocative soundscape. Deserts, ice fields, ancient ruins claimed by forests, vast skies, lakes, mountains, storms, restless seas and underwater coral reefs play out across the frames. The awe-inspiring scenery of the natural world is disrupted throughout by images of cargo, symbols of trade, decaying ships and disease.

Blending contemporary art conceptions with vital information concerning the planetary emergency, the Museum’s Jerwood Contemporary Arts Programme connects audiences and artists to the natural world. 

Arcadia will be free for all visitors to the Natural History Museum and will run from 6 November 2026 until May 2027. Just under an hour long, the film will play on a loop in the Jerwood Gallery.

Visitors should book a free ticket in advance online for guaranteed entry to the Museum.