Moving beyond character-driven or linear narratives, this programme brings together ten experimental short films focused on architectural spaces. When architecture transcends its role as a backdrop to become a protagonist, how does it shape expression and the realities we see on screen?

Tromarama’s Borderless (2010), a playful animation made with embroidery on canvas, takes us through various streetscapes from the perspective of a pedestrian. Mapping the cityscape through sound, abstract animation pioneer Samia Halaby employs sonic textures and geometric forms in BEIRUT (1993/2025) to capture the energy and character of the Lebanese capital. In IKIF’s Rotation AB (1983) and Takashi Ito’s The Mummy’s Dream (1989), buildings serve as structural anchors that define the camera’s relationship with space, exploring the tension between the lens and the environment.

The programme delves into the psychological dimensions of space with Wang Tuo’s Obsessions (2019), which juxtaposes the Fusuijing Building—a socialist architectural landmark—with a hypnotherapy session, revealing subconscious chambers that mirror human desire. Ellen Pau’s Drained II (1989) and Mary Stephen’s Labyrinthe (1973) use experimental editing to emphasise the relationship between architecture and the body, suggesting that built structures not only regulate physical behaviour but can also become vessels confining the soul. Linda Chiu-han Lai’s Door Games Window Frames: Near Drama (2012) assembles clips from 1960s Hong Kong cinema and melodramas to illustrate how spatial transitions and architectural openings, like doors and windows, control the beginning and end of a narrative. Finally, the programme concludes with Simon Liu’s Hide & Seek #3 (2022) and Hide & Seek #7 (2022). Captured on celluloid, these works utilise neon-drenched light and shadow to crystallise the phantasmagoria of Hong Kong’s urban landscape.

The screening on Friday, 29 May 2026 will be followed by a talk.