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Writing

Caitlin Merrett King on Ayla Dmyterko's 'Dance of the Fated Furies'

Writing

Writer and curator Caitlin Merrett King's response to 'Dance of the Fated Furies' phases between critical enquiry and a narrative inundated with a pop cultural cache of emotion.
Two performers sit around a table in a film studio cast in a purple light. A subtitle reads: "The dog is the state."

if four is a riot, it is also a congress: Cicely Farrer on MAXIMUM TILT

Writing

Cicely Farrer reflects on MAXIMUM TILT: a festival of artists’ moving image, responding to the festival format as a whole before identifying three thematic strands of the programme and unfolding them in relation to specific films. Cicely goes on to draw out the programme's provocations and questions how festivals can be spaces which sit with and hold contradiction.
Footage from a degraded colour VHS tape shows a medium close up of a drag queen smiling on stage. She wears long dark brown hair, a blue top and dark eye makeup.

'Dying images and queer utopian memory' | Ingrid Ryberg on Moving Images Within Precarious Structures

Writing

We invited author and director Ingrid Ryberg to respond to Moving Images Within Precarious Structures, framing the programme through her own research and filmmaking practice to consider how different modes of moving image and multiple layers of precarity demonstrate and resist the erasure and loss of intersecting cultural-political struggles.
A black and white still shows a performer wearing black moving across an outdoor tiled floor. A large silver adornment emerges from their face and around their mouth, and a silvery glitter covers their hand.

Cici Peng on Wei Zhang’s 'The Silver Tide'

Writing

Film writer and curator Cici Peng responds to 'The Silver Tide'.
An archival black and white photograph has been damaged with heat, causing a oily bubble to appear on its surface and obscure the image.

In the shadow of the complex | Rachel Grant on Donald Butler's 'FLARE'

Writing

We commissioned curator and writer Rachel Grant to respond to Donald Butler's new commission 'FLARE' (2026), commissioned by LUX Scotland as part of We Contain Multitudes.

Günseli Yalcinkaya on Eternal Engine’s ​'Unbelievable Geomagnetic Storm'

Writing

Editor, writer and researcher Günseli Yalcinkaya responds to 'Unbelieveable Geomagnetic Storm'.

Above the belt | Alison Scott on Intentional Pauses (and Unforeseen Gaps)

Writing

We commissioned artist and writer Alison Scott to respond to Intentional Pauses (and Unforeseen Gaps), our peripatetic artists' moving image programme that took place across Scotland from Autumn 2024 to Spring 2025.

Moved Souls: Nadja Abt on Bobbi Cameron's 'for the first words of a dreamworld'

Writing

Artist, writer and editor Nadja Abt responds to 'for the first words of a dreamworld'.

Maria Walsh on Lydia Davies' 'May'

Writing

Writer and art critic Maria Walsh responds to ‘May’.

Soillseachadh | Rody Gorman on Intentional Pauses (and Unforeseen Gaps) Season 3

Writing

We commissioned writer Rody Gorman to respond to Season 3 of Intentional Pauses (and Unforeseen Gaps), programmed by Aqsa Arif and Hector MacInnes.

Some Considerations: Eddie Chambers on Matthew Arthur Williams' 'Soon Come'

Writing

Artist, curator and contemporary art historian, Eddie Chambers responds to ‘Soon Come’.

Time, Cinema and the Inseparability of Things | Joud Al-Tamimi on Sulaïman Majali's 'in the house of names'

Writing

We commissioned Joud Al-Tamimi to respond to Sulaïman Majali's Margaret Tait Commission 'in the house of names' (2023).
Image description: A film still showing the upper decks of a cruise ship. Three decks of cabins are arranged in horizontal lines that stretch across the image. A lone figure walks along the top deck. A green hill rises behind the left side of the ship and we see the top of a wind turbine to the right. The sky is a hazy greyish blue. At the bottom centre of the image a line of bright yellow text, bracketed between two music notes, reads 'when you were underwater'. The image is slightly blurred as if out of focus or enlarged but the yellow text is sharp.

Nicole Starosielski on Matthew Cosslett's 'missing in-crypt tides'

Writing

We commissioned Nicole Starosielski, Professor of Film and Media at The University of California, Berkeley, to respond to Matthew Cosslett’s ‘missing in-crypt tides’.

Written on the wall | Kyle Adam on Intentional Pauses (and Unforeseen Gaps) Season 2

Writing

To conclude Intentional Pauses (and Unforeseen Gaps) Season 2, we commissioned a text by Kyle Adam responding to the programme 'Even islands connect underneath us'.
A red tulip has a small shocked face drawn onto it in black pen. A subtitle reads: ‘YOU'LL DREAM.’

Why do tulips smile? | Dana Leslie on Intentional Pauses (and Unforeseen Gaps) Season 1

Writing

To conclude Intentional Pauses (and Unforeseen Gaps) Season 1, we commissioned a text by Dana Leslie responding to the programme 'Between any two possibilities there is darkness'.
in a room bathed in orange light, two people lean across a table of framed paintings and point to photographs of a rural location on an illuminated iPhone screen.

ADDICT LIVINGNESS | Waithera Sebatindira on Thomas Abercromby's 'John'

Writing

Writer Waithera Sebatindira responds to 'John'.
A colour film still showing a blurred image of a bathroom coloured dark purple, green and brown. The background has a row of sinks and soap dispensers with a mirror above. The mirror is framed by strip lights, creating bright white rectangles.

Jen Clarke on Phoebe Banks' 'Girl in a Pub Toilet'

Writing

We commissioned anthropologist, artist, and curator Jen Clarke to respond to Phoebe Banks’ Online Commission ‘Girl in a Pub Toilet’ (2024).

Enxhi Mandija on Phoebe McBride's 'On Becoming a Water Bat: echoes of an unseen world'

Writing

Recalling: We commissioned writer Enxhi Mandija to respond to Phoebe McBride’s 'On Becoming a Water Bat: echoes of an unseen world'.
A colour film still shows a person, standing on sand dunes and surrounded by long grass. They have blonde hair and are dressed in a long black coat and black hat and carry a mottled piece of fabric.

Getting Under the Seals’kin: Amy Liptrot on Hanna Tuulikki's 'Seals’kin'

Writing

Writer Amy Liptrot responds to ​‘Seals’kin’.
An areal view of a Northern English landscape, intersected with criss-crossing roads and dominated by surveillance radomes. The landscape is made up of muted browns and dark greens, with hints of bright iridescent blue pixilation, and the domes almost glow white with a hint of orange and yellow.

Keir Milburn on Andrew Black's 'On Clogger Lane'

Writing

'ONLY THE MINERAL REMAINS': We commissioned writer, researcher and activist Keir Milburn to respond to Andrew Black's Margaret Tait Commission 'On Clogger Lane'.

Cicely Gill on Louise Barrington's 'Sylph'

Writing

Poet and playwright Cicely Gill responds to 'Sylph'.
A close up looking down on two people from behind wearing denim and fleece as they use chopsticks and a metal bowl to fill dumplings. The word 'complain' is repeated four times in sans serif white text at a diagonal in the centre of the image.

Traversing the y‑axis of existence through the framework of love: April Lin 林森 on Xin Huang's 'What Should We Eat After Dreaming?'

Writing

Artist, writer and programmer April Lin 林森 responds to 'What Should We Eat After Dreaming?'.
A close up of a white hand moving through water. The water is dark, made up of deep blues and muddy browns. Light reflecting on the water creates a painterly quality. Weeds float in the water, and they are partly in motion as the hand brushes against them.

Jane Hartshorn on Caitlin McMullan's 'First Step Swim'

Writing

Poet and academic Jane Hartshorn responds to ‘First Step Swim'.

Mary Jane Dunphe on Alkmini Gkousiari's 'You didn’t come from the egg but also not made from soil and water'

Writing

Art writer, poet and musician Mary Jane Dunphe responds to 'You didn’t come from the egg but also not made from soil and water'.

EMPTY: Craig Martin on Maeve Brennan's 'An Excavation'

Writing

Writer and researcher Craig Martin responds to ​‘An Excavation’.

Valentina Bold on Heather Andrews' 'In Erms of Clay'

Writing

Writer Valentina Bold responds to 'In Erms of Clay'.
A close-up of a herbalist's finger using a small beige spoon to push some wet, dark brown plant material through a small metal sieve. The light in the image is warm and yellow

The marc and the menstruum: Monique Todd on Rehana Zaman's 'Alternative Economies'

Writing

Writer Monique Todd responds to 'Alternative Economies'.
A video still from a 2D animation; delivered via pen and fibre-tipped markers on paper. Spinning in liquid green nothingness, four magenta heads wobble and collide in the centre of the frame. The heads are nipple-pointed with faces and wide pink mouths.

Hand Held Oracular Motion Picture Device: Daniella Valz Gen on Rae-Yen Song's ‘wūûūwūûū’

Writing

Poet, artist and oracle Daniella Valz Gen responds to ‘wūûūwūûū’.
A still from ‘They Call It Idlewild’ shows a miniature model scene with brown trees and silver cars, with a dusty blue background.

THE THOUGHT THAT TOUCHES YOU: Karen Verschooren on Helen Cammock's 'They Call It Idlewild'

Writing

Curator Karen Verschooren responds to 'They Call It Idlewild'.
a square image sits within black borders. We are looking down at a white masculine person as they swim under water. From our aerial perspective, we can see bubbles on the surface. Beneath the water, the person’s back, legs and head are visible, and his arms stretch behind him as he moves, his skin tinted yellow and orange by the water.

Chris Fite-Wassilak on Cal Mac's 'Agony to Ecstasy'

Writing

Writer and critic Chris Fite-Wassilak responds to 'Agony to Ecstasy'.
A video still depicts a puddle in the rain. The water is a dark grey, speckled with reflections of light and concentric circles of raindrops hitting the surface. The ground surrounding it is a pattern of road surfaces, bricks and concrete and tarmac. Tuffs of greenery edge around the puddle, and an orange ball, or perhaps an orange fruit, sits on an island of wet grass in the puddle.

Joud Al-Tamimi on Sulaïman Majali's 'false dawn'

Writing

Artist and curator Joud Al-Tamimi responds to 'false dawn'.
A close-up on dusty orange sandstone and concrete building materials on a demolition site. A brick in the centre of the frame has pink spray paint on it.

Adam Benmakhlouf’s introduction to 'of sugar and Bones'

Writing

Adam Benmakhlouf’s introduction to of sugar and Bones by Thulani Rachia Tramway, Glasgow, 23 September 2021.

Špela Drnovšek Zorko on Maja Zeco’s ‘In Search of the Sun’

Writing

Anthropologist and writer Špela Drnovšek Zorko responds to 'In Search of the Sun'.

Sean Wai Keung on Andrea Luka Zimmerman's 'Here for Life'

Writing

Poetry, performance and food maker Sean Wai Keung responds to 'Here for Life'.

Mary McGill on Rachel Maclean's 'Hit Me Baby'

Writing

Digital culture researcher and journalist Mary McGill responds to 'Hit Me Baby'.

Clay AD on Renèe Helèna Browne's 'Rebuilding Urania'

Writing

Artist, writer and somatic bodyworker Clay AD responds to 'Rebuilding Urania'.
A super-8mm still depicts yellow, red and purple flowers hanging from a ceiling with a wooden comb. In the background is the wooden frame of a door and white walls. The image is grainy and has a painterly feel with the subtle warm colours.

An artery: Marcus Jack on Anne-Marie Copestake's 'A love'

Writing

Curator and writer Marcus Jack responds to 'A love'.
A video still shows a dark room, we are close to a wooden table on which are placed two glass objects. We can see the lines of where the table could fold down, and the curve of the table edge across the centre of the image. A bottle, and next to it sits a thin vase with green shoots in it. On top of the objects sits text, large white san serif font that reads ‘ONE’.

It is the case that it is raining and it is not raining: Jen Martin on Sarah Forrest’s 'The Unit'

Writing

Artist and writer Jen Martin responds to 'The Unit'.
A 16mm still shows a close up of a grey-brown branch, the background is out of focus and we can see the rough textures of the tree’s bark. On the branch sits a yellow-orange organic form, a kind of fungi. It’s wiggles and curves are almost alien-like in appearance. Beneath the organic fungi form is yellow san serif italic text, which reads ‘what is this thing?’

CAConrad on George Finlay Ramsay and Alexander Hetherington’s 'CASTOROCENE'

Writing

Writer CAConrad responds to 'CASTOROCENE'.
Two white people sit beside one another in a cinema, looking up at the screen. On the left handmade a man wears a dark hat and a white t-shirt, his hand brushing the neck of his top. On the right, a woman with blonde straight hair with a fringe gazes upwards.

Tina Fiske on Mark Lyken's '1300 SHOTS'

Writing

Writer Tina Fiske responds to '1300 SHOTS'.
A bright blue sky, with some faint wispy white clouds makes up most of this image. On the left hand side a passport-size photograph of a man appears against the sky. The man's black hair and moustache stand out against his pale top and the blue sky. The words 'Did he choose that backdrop?' appear at the bottom of the image, in small white coloured letters.

New writing programme | Jessica McGoff

Writing

Jessica McGoff's text for our partnership writing programme with Alchemy Film & Arts and The Skinny.
A video still shows an inverted close up of a hand overlaid with an image to the left of a black woman in a dark room dressed in orange.

New writing programme | Derek McArthur

Writing

Derek McArthur's text for our partnership writing programme with Alchemy Film & Arts and The Skinny.
A digital collage shows computer generated images of white and ruby gems in the background, overlaid with a historical portrait of a white man in a golden frame to the right and another layered digital collage to the left. At the bottom left of the frame is a quotation that reads "pure art was the banner of the rising bourgeoisie"

New writing programme | Lauren La Rose

Writing

Lauren La Rose's text for our partnership writing programme with Alchemy Film & Arts and The Skinny.
Jamie Crewe, <i>PEOPLE HAVE COME</i>, 2020. Courtesy of the artist.

Jamie Crewe, PEOPLE HAVE COME

Writing

As part of the Margaret Tait Award, Jamie Crewe presented a recorded artist’s talk in which they discuss a technique that recurs throughout their practice. They have named the technique PEOPLE HAVE COME, and it describes courting and avoiding publicness.

Huw Lemmey on Mathew Wayne Parkin's 'I Believe in You'

Writing

Novelist and artist Huw Lemmey responds to 'I Believe in You'.

Brian Dillon, Your eyes are full of hesitation

Writing

Brian Dillon responds to Sarah Forrest's Margaret Tait Award commission 'April' (2018).

Donald Butler, Authoring Agents

Writing

Two large sound monitors positioned at either side of The Anatomy Room’s project space have a distinctly commandeering presence, erected taller than most in the room.

Maja Zećo, High Entropy

Writing

Maja Zećo responds to Alexander Storey Gordon's 'These Are The Days My Friends, And These Are The Days My Friends' (2017).

Caroline Gausden, Outer Space

Writing

Caroline Gausden responds to Andrea Luka Zimmerman’s 'Civil Rites' and Alex Martinis Roe’s 'Our Future Network'.

Shane Strachan, 'Click Here for Translation'

Writing

Shane Strachan responds to 'Looking Across the Fields', a screening curated by Iain Irving that took place at the Belmont Filmhouse, Aberdeen.

Seats at a round table | Naoko Mabon responds to 'On Sharing, Separations'

Writing

Naoko Mabon responds to 'On Sharing, Separations' a screening event that took place at WORM, Aberdeen in November 2018.

On Charity | Amy Tobin responds to Kate Davis' 'Charity'

Writing

Amy Tobin responds to Kate Davis' Margaret Tait Commission 'Charity'.

AMIF 2016 Modern Edinburgh Film School Edition

Writing