Tall Tales and Wonder Rooms, Moving image 2022. (Click on image above for promo clip)
Selected for The Arts Institute Film Commission 2021, the premiere of Tall Tales and Wonder Rooms will be introduced by winning filmmaker Mohini Chandra. Working closely with the film archive at The Box Plymouth, Chandra has created a beautiful piece delving into the tales and hidden histories of Plymouth’s waters and the city’s links to the wider world.
“Tall Tales and Wonder Rooms began with a curiosity about shipwrecks and the world of amateur sea divers, the stories they tell, the ‘treasures’ brought up from local wrecks and the collections that have been created. These ‘Wonder Rooms’ represent a singular passion for shipwrecks and collecting, reminding us that Plymouth and the South West of the UK is a vast archaeological site, with material evidence that links our locality irrefutably, to the rest of the world.” Mohini Chandra
Alongside Mohini, this film will have an additional introduction from Mallory Haas, Director of The SHIPS Project – a Plymouth based non-profit organisation that undertakes research and exploration of maritime historical sites and events, both on land and underwater. This enchanting film was produced in collaboration with The SHIPS Project.
“The Ships Project are already in close dialogue with local divers, and they are a rich source of vernacular collecting histories. For me, these stories and collecting activities represent a particular and very personal relationship between the city and its maritime history, as well as, through the global nature of collected ‘exotic’ artefacts, the wider world.” Mohini Chandra
Since graduating from the Royal College of Art, Mohini has exhibited widely, including in New York, Sydney, Auckland and London, and her work is held in international collections in the UK and USA, including the UK's Arts Council Collection.
Read the full publicity statement for Tall Tales and Wonder Rooms written by Mohini Chandra.
This film was made possible through The Arts Institute Film Commission 2021 supported by The Box, Plymouth and The Arts Institute, University of Plymouth.