In an age of algorithms and fleeting content, the tradition of paper-cutting in remote villages in Shanxi raises questions about the value of craftsmanship. The short film Finding Pegasus, directed by Kimisa H and shot on 16mm film by director of photography Andy PML, moves away from the traditional documentary format to offer a visual exploration of manual labour, the enduring nature of the tactile experience and the need to create. Whilst rooted in the centuries-old tradition of Chinese paper-cutting, the project engages with the current demands of the fashion industry, particularly the search for a more direct and tangible form of craftsmanship. Under the creative direction of Jiahan Wang, the cinematography focuses on intensely evocative details: hands marked by time shaping the material, skin surfaces used as a surface for tracing shapes when sight fades, and motifs depicting figures and animals that take shape in the silence of the home. Here, the process of cutting takes on a meaning that goes beyond mere ornamentation, becoming an act of personal reconstruction.
The Pegasus that gives the film its title represents the creative instinct that endures despite the limitations of time and the body. The protagonists do not create their works for the market, but to keep their own expressive world alive, transforming recycled materials into imaginative compositions. The cut-out silhouettes, placed in windows or set in motion by the wind, cast shifting shadows that transform the rural landscape into a setting where traditional elements and contemporary visions converge. From an editorial and cultural perspective, Finding Pegasus offers a reflection on the risk of dematerialisation linked to the widespread use of digital technologies. In a context where even fashion images tend to lose their weight and physical substance, Kimisa H’s work draws attention to the value of memory preserved in the manual gesture, in the patience of cutting out, and in the individual’s ability to shape reality through the work of their hands.
