“Living in the air”
Gray, a guide from Dalian, China, often acts like a host introducing Scotland to new Chinese international students, although he still lives a wandering life here, sometimes alone in a temporary rented flat, but more often on the road. Home is not just a place for him, but a symbol of belonging.
Director Biography
Kurt Ma (1993, China, Chinese name: 马可) is a postgraduate student about to graduate from the University of Edinburgh with a degree in MA Film Directing. Born in Jiangsu Province in China and living in Shanghai, he has been producing and directing commercial advertising videos since his undergraduate art degree at Nanjing Art College in 2012.
Director’s Statement
Having lived in Edinburgh for over a decade, Gray, a guide from Dalian, China, often acts like a host introducing Scotland to new Chinese international students, although he still lives a wandering life here, sometimes alone in a temporary rented flat, but more often on the road. His body is moving all the time, as is his identity, following his memories as they wander between Edinburgh in the present and Dalian in the past. Home is not just a place for him, but a symbol of belonging. Yet he still seems to be living in the air, present in his moving car, in the words of his carefully constructed social media, and in his dreams. As usual, he drives some students to the Scottish Highlands, giving them a guided tour. As the scenery along the way comes into his view, he is reminded of his hometown and a dream he had recently, but no one seems to care about the dream. Perhaps it’s a journey that will not end, and the journey itself is a dream. The movement of the body can be recorded by technology like Google maps, but what about identity? What about memories? What can the flow of these be recorded by? The dream may give him the answer.