SIR ISAAC JULIEN, LESSONS OF THE HOUR, 2019
“Lessons of the Hour is a poetic meditation on the life and times of Frederick Douglass, the ten-screen film installation proposes a contemplative journey into Douglass' zeitgeist and its relationship to contemporaneity. The film includes excerpts of Douglass' most arresting speeches and allusions to his private and public milieus.
Frederick Douglass was a visionary African American writer, abolitionist and a freed slave, who was also the most photographed man of the 19th century. The narrative is informed by some of the abolitionist's most important speeches, such as "Lessons of the Hour," "What to the Slave Is the 4th of July?" and "Lecture on Pictures". The latter is a text that connects picture-making and photography to Douglass' vision of how technology can influence human relations. In the film, the character of Douglass interacts with other cultural icons of his time.” - Isaac Julien