The point of art

"Our journey led us from the southernmost point to the northernmost point, traversing from the Amazon River to the Caribbean Sea. This expedition encompassed both spatial and historical dimensions of geography," Tan recalls.

Tan says that the three-part film, which unfolds a myriad of natural scenes, portrays three layers of Macondo. The first part unveils the mystique and enchantment of the rainforest, and the second delves into the early 20th-century life along the Caribbean coast. In the third part, the narrative circles back to colonial history, intertwining local knowledge with scientific understanding.

"Our intention is for nature, or more precisely, 'nature that is far from indifferent', to emerge as the central narrative element," he says. "Simultaneously, it stands as the authentic witness to the extensive passage of time, akin to the towering tree featured at the movie's outset — a living testament with a history spanning over 500 years, coinciding with the arrival of the Spanish in the New World," Tan says.

The other films cover various themes, such as personal computers, social proposals and cosmic mapping, earthly writing and the containment of time and so on.