Tra(i)nsient

Overview

We see the world through a train window in Tra(i)nsient. Anson Mak captures the fleeting scenes that rush by: images of trees, buildings, power lines, rolling hills, and neighbourhoods, from sunrise through daytime to nightfall. Shot on a Super 8 camera, the video has a particularly grainy quality as light fluctuates over the course of a day. For the majority of the nearly twelve-minute piece, we hear the sound of falling rain and the clamouring of train wheels against the tracks; the viewpoint then shifts to a straight shot of Hong Kong, with the soundtrack changing to white noise. In the final moments, the film cuts to silent darkness. (From mplus.org.hk)