On the surface, lichens appear to be patchy patterns on concrete in the city, either going unnoticed, or considered unsightly. But they keep the carbon cycle humming: as their algae photosynthesize, they pull carbon dioxide from the air and pump out oxygen. Lichens readily absorb contaminants in the atmosphere and are among the first organisms to die when pollution increases. Their carbon-rich bodies sprawl across roofs and floors, spreading and shrinking, subtly speaking volumes.

Our experimental film takes a closer look at this remarkable organism which exists largely in the background, growing right beneath our feet, a telltale sign of ageing building in a burgeoning metropolis that never stops growing. The sound design explores each activity of ours that emits into the air the carbon essential to the lichens’ survival and the pollutants that ring their death knell.

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Directors' Statement: Our engagement with the theme of Anthropocene while making my hybrid documentary film, Maraluva Daari, spurred Amal Zen and I to collaborate on a short film based on my research into the lichen that grows on concrete surfaces in the city. We ideated to find a treatment style that would make the perceptibly static organism look dynamic, and arrived upon kinestasis. The human eye cannot see the growth of lichen, and yet, it is a thriving, living being in the city. It was an intensive shoot wherein we shot thousands of still images with a macro lens to be able to generate a smooth stop motion effect. We wanted to explore the meaning of its subtle and often invisible existence in our surroundings, like those of many life forms in the designed-for-human urban spaces.