Hankyō A film by Emma Dove

Hankyō was commissioned as a creative response to The Mitori Project, a comparative study exploring end of life issues in the UK and Japan, led by the University of Glasgow (2019-2020).

Inspired by writer and composer John Cage, Hankyō uses a process known as ‘writing through’ to generate ‘mesostic’ poems in English and Japanese. Chance techniques determined which poems became script and where they fell within the film.

Scoping the boundaries of ‘experimentation’ within academia, Hankyō swaps one set of rules and guidelines designed to maintain order and academic rigour for another designed to break apart and entirely rearrange meaning.

An exercise in process. An excavation. A distillation.

An echo of the original

Based in rural Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, Emma Dove works with moving image, photography and sound, often collaborating with other artists, composers, choreographers, academics, scientists and community groups.

Previous projects have explored relationships to place, the natural world, migration, notions of home and personal memory — engaging with local communities to create immersive works layering long-take video, voices, and field recordings. Completed films and installations have been presented at exhibitions and festivals in the UK, Italy, Sweden, Romania, Brazil, Mexico, and India.

More recently, Emma has developed new work around themes of the body, birth, death, and resilience which has included cross-cultural research between Scotland and Japan. Emma also works part-time as Film Programme Coordinator at CAMPLE LINE — a gallery and multi-arts organisation in Dumfriesshire. https://filmfreeway.com/Hankyo

Below: Hankyo moment finishing