Image: Mark Lyken flanked by Alchemy Directors Michael Pattison and Rachael Disbury, Heart of Hawick, Wednesday 8 September 2021 (credit: River N. Uhing)

Táifēng and the Motorway Saint, by Alchemy Film & Arts’ filmmaker in residence Mark Lyken, reveals chance-led interactions with people and places across three Taiwanese cities – Taipei, Kaohsiung and Tainan. Amidst the perpetual flow of city life, stationary long-take shots allow everyday micro-narratives to play out, offering time to discover and contemplate the layers of detail within each scene. Local voices, recorded during a viewing of Lyken’s footage, provide a spontaneous, voiceover commentary. The work seeks out and dwells upon often unregarded details of place, layering observational footage, local voices, musical improvisation and field recordings to build a visually rich meditation on texture – both random and ordered – within the context of contemporary Taiwanese life. 

Mark was joined for a Q&A after the film by Alchemy’s Directors Rachael Disbury and Michael Pattison. 

THE TEVIOT, THE FLAG AND THE RICH, RICH SOIL 

This screening is part of The Teviot, the Flag and the Rich, Rich Soil, a programme of artist residencies, film commissions, discussion events and community engagement exploring the borders, boundaries and lines of Hawick and the Scottish Borders.