24 March 2022 saw the launch of Love Infinity on MUBI, the first art film of its genre, created in London by Oscar and BAFTA Winner and Chinese multidisciplinary artist Tim Yip.
Tim Yip (b. 1967, Hong Kong) is a world-renowned multidisciplinary artist and creator, and winner of the BAFTA and Academy awards for his work on the 2000 martial arts film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
“Love Infinity begins at a moment in which, it seems to me, global commerce and economic development have had a flattening effect on the whole world, producing a new feeling of uncertainty, felt most keenly by the young generation. Historically, the East End has been a place of poverty and hardship but also of new beginnings. Nobody creates out of a void. As I filmed, a phrase came to my mind: ‘if you don’t like this world, you have to make a new one.’”
Tim Yip
Image above left: Gilbert and George, Stella, Lili and Tim Yip in the film Love Infinity, 2022. Image courtesy Tim Yip Studio
Focusing on East London’s unique creative spirit, Love Infinity brings together an inspiring cast with unparalleled access to some of the most iconic and diverse living artists and creatives of our time, across visual arts, fashion, music and the creative industries, including, amongst others: Vivienne Westwood, Gilbert & George, Philip Colbert, Daniel Lismore, Stephen Jones, Pandemonia, Stik, Sue Webster and Jonny Woo.
Love Infinity is produced by renowned artist and photographer Maryam Eisler and designer and conceptual arts curator Mei-Hui Liu. The Artiscape interviewed Eisler about the film.
What attracted you to working on the film?
Working on the film was a natural extension of my book on East End creative personalities entitled Voices East London, published by Thames and Hudson in 2018. It was almost like telling the same story in a a more elaborate moving image format , so the project sat well with me.
How did this film come about?
I photographed and interviewed Meihui Liu when making Voices East London. She introduced me to the heart and soul of East London. Luckily, our friendship flourished well beyond the book, and we have since collaborated on a myriad of crazy initiatives and photoshoots.
Four years ago, I received a call from Meihui, inviting me for high tea. She wanted to introduce me to ‘her friend Tim’ who was visiting London on a short visit … the rest is history !
A month later, Tim Yip asks me to collaborate on the ‘Love Infinity’ film project as creative producer alongside Meihui… a match made in heaven if you ask me!
What was it like working with Tim Yip?
It took an ‘outsider’ (Tim) to tell the tale of an ‘outsider’ community ( the East End)! That is why Tim was so well received as he was accepted and received with open arms by East London’s creative community. Tim does not think linearly as most do. He is much more poetic and philosophical than that, hence his interest in the idea of ” spiritual DNA”.
I like to think of him as a cultural archaeologist, curious to dig deep into the layered psyche of London’s sub- culture. Working with him was sheer poetry, ethereal and magical. He is also incredibly collaborative and receptive to his colleague’s opinions and ideas.
What were the challenges in putting this production together during COVID?
What was meant to take two years took four. But I personally always like to see the silver lining in every challenge. The product you have today is no doubt a much stronger and more powerful proposition than what would have been in ‘ normal’ times.
The editing process benefitted deeply from more thought, more dialogue, more planning, and more attention to detail. Tim’s team, to particularly include Benjamin Teare (the film’s creative editor and First Assistant Director) actually had the time and vision to edit two products from the rich variety of visual takes, one which is more fiction-oriented, and the other more documentary- style. That was the gift of Covid to our team.
What can an audience expect from the film?
An audience can expect to be transported on a magical journey of discovery, fantasy and amazement. At first, you will be attracted by the eye- candy nature of the film and its protagonists, but in no time, you will find yourself falling deep like Alice, ‘ micro- dosed’, into a phantasmagoric utopian rabbit hole of sensory images and thoughts… You will forever be preoccupied by a deeper understanding of identity and freedom , and most importantly by the possibility of an ‘Other’ and of Choice, with a capital C.
Global streaming service MUBI is pleased present Tim Yip’s Love Infinity, allowing audiences of all cultures around the world to discover a truly beautiful film.
Love Infinity will be available at this link on MUBI UK from 24 March 2022. www.mubi.com
