Sandbox: Saining
★★★☆☆ Tender
Studio @ 42 Dundas (Venue 473): Fri 8 – Fri 22 Aug 2025
Review by Julia Amour
Sandbox: Saining is an immersive video environment by Kerry Mullaney and Kris Bird that takes a tender look at what the bonds of love might mean to AI, posing cultural and ethical questions for viewers.
Stylistically, it is an intriguing mix of folk-tinged nature imagery with speculative fiction. The art film is stunning and bubbling with ideas – some of which are still in gestation.
Image from Sandbox: Shining. Still: Mothcatcher
The waiting room is dressed like a cross between an old fashioned toy box and a clootie well, with votive strips of yarn and lace strung up at head height. There is an enigmatic video of a little girl playing with her dolls in the woods, then reciting what sounds like a prayer to the Celtic spirits. So far, so folk horror.
But on entering the Quiet Room, the mood changes and it is initially hard to imagine whose point of view is on screen: is it one of those spirits; a ghost; or something (someone) more synthetic altogether?
It feels uncanny but seems a benign presence as it soothes the anxieties of a bed-ridden woman, before it becomes more clearly obvious that it is an AI, when it is told to stop recording and is debriefed by a programmer. There is perhaps a touch too much detail here on how an AI might visually present to a human, which seems unnecessary for the overall story.
These scenes are interspersed with idyllic images of the same little girl playing in the sea, though a different age now; and lingering sensuous shots of bogland, birchwood and coastline. The serene but mysterious tone here is reminiscent of Céline Sciamma’s moving, magical realist film Petite Maman.
Image from Sandbox: Shining. Still: Mothcatcher
We learn that the ‘care unit’ has triggered a behavioural audit by initiating philosophical reflection. She (it is hard to think of the character as anything other than she) then becomes distressed when told that her charges are not real, and demands to be sent ‘back home’ to be a mother to the girl she loves.
Just as the gorgeous footage of Scotland’s wild places can evoke emotion in the viewer though only pixels of light on a screen, the work invites questions about how real the AI’s feelings are, and how ethical it is to tear any sentient being away from the ones they love.
Saining is a Scottish term that can refer to a ritual of blessing, purification or consecration; and the invocation of these spiritual ideas broaches fascinating territory about how we will make and share meaning with AI beings when they are part of our lives.
That this short film is a family affair makes it all the more tender: with daughter, mother and sister playing roles alongside Mullaney herself. It is also linked to a long-term feature film project called Iron Angel, which will enable the creators to reflect the childhood development of their daughter over time.
The quality of ideas is impressive in this thoughtful fusion of folk culture and post-humanist perspectives.
Running time: 25 minutes (no interval).
Studio @ 42 Dundas (Quiet Room), 42 Dundas Street, EH3 6JN (Venue 473).
Friday 8 – Friday 22 August 2025.
Daily (Various time): 12 noon – 8pm.
Tickets and details: Book here on EdFringe.com.
Facebook: @Mothcatcher
Instagram: @mothcatcher
YouTube: @Mothcatcher-Films
Image from Sandbox: Shining. Still: Mothcatcher
ENDS
