Graham Fagen

The Slave's Lament

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About this artwork

The Slave’s Lament was Scottish poet Robert Burns’s (1759-1796) only work to empathise with the appalling hurt of the displaced, the trafficked and the enslaved. A lyric published in 1792, it is a narrative that remains contemporary as we think of current tragedies unfolding on borders and in hinterland locations. With a moving score written by Sally Beamish, performed by the Scottish Ensemble and reggae singer Ghetto Priest, and produced by On-U-Sound founder Adrian Sherwood, Graham Fagen creates a fascinating sound clash, where Burns's poetry finds a haunting bedfellow in Jamaican reggae music – and finds much common ground. 

Published November 2021

  • artist:
    Graham Fagen (born 1966) Scottish
  • title:
    The Slave's Lament
  • date created:
    2015
  • materials:
    Four-channel colour video installation, with sound, 14 min. 27 sec
  • measurements:
    14 min., 27 sec.
  • object type:
  • credit line:
    Gifted by Outset UK 2020
  • accession number:
    GMA 5749
  • gallery:
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Graham Fagen

Graham Fagen