Flows: Chinese Garden

Shot over the course of five months in and around Tulum, in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, Flows leads viewers on a journey never before taken.

  • Director: Klaus Thymann
  • Music: Thom Yorke

Shot over the course of five months in and around Tulum, in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, Flows is a 52-minute documentary directed by Klaus Thymann and featuring music by Radiohead's Thom Yorke. The film leads viewers on a journey never before taken, exploring the aquifer beneath the Yucatan Peninsula and investigating the links between a number of beautiful and unique aquatic environments.

Through land, air and sea, Thymann takes us down over a kilometre into a submerged cave system. In the clip below we see an incredible reflective mirage, where salt and freshwater meet, unmixed, resembling an ethereal divide. Whilst candid and visually stunning, Flows challenges the concept of the ecosystem, considering water as one sole, unified entity and underlining the importance of saving, and protecting, all bodies of water.

A clip from the documentary Flows, by director Klaus Thymann.
Video Duration

“Flows actually came from a feature I did for The Guardian, where I was joining the dots so to say, showing the connections between the various so-called ecosystems on the Yucatan Peninsula. This brought the idea about to talk of water as one unity and not separate units,” says Thymann. “The fact that there are very big Marine Protected Areas being announced is great, but, in my view, we need to include the inland underground rivers, too. This is what Flows is about.”

Flows premieres on 16 May 2018.

Articles

Further Reading

Up Close: Ergol #6

Photographer Vincent Fournier’s ‘Space Project’ series displays a fascination with space through an archive of the most significant hubs in the world.

Up Close: The Jump

The Holmenkollen ski jump was first opened in 1892, and quickly became one of Norway's iconic landmarks. David Ryle follows some of the skiers taking on the challenge.

Reading List: Maritime Adventures

From a Victorian circumnavigation of the globe to the tragedy of the Titanic, six tales of epic and sometimes tragic maritime adventure from the briny depths.

The Essentials: Benedict Allen

Explorer Benedict Allen explains why a pencil wrapped in gaffer tape, a postcard of the Queen, and condoms have all proved crucial for his jungle survival kit.

Mirrorlands

A shift in the balance of world power means that China and Russia are currently more aligned than at any point since the 1950s. Ed Pulford takes a journey along the border between two superpowers.

Pulp Comics: A Thing of the Past

Once a regular feature on US newsstands, we delve into the kitschy macho pulp of men’s adventure magazines and catch a glimpse of American Cold War psyche.
Browse by Category