The Silver Darlings is a short film by Alastair Cook featuring an original soundtrack by Italian composer Luca Nasciuti. Taking its name from the eponymous book by Neil M. Gunn, The Silver Darlings follows a route from deep within the land out toward the coast, evoking the Clearance and reflecting on the people moved from the Straths to the planned villages of Golspie, Brora and Helmsdale. An emotive subject, the swell of Luca’s music carries the viewer on the journey toward the sea.

Giles Sutherland, in his review of Sutherland | Caithness,states:

"Alastair Cook's black and white photographic images of Caithness and Sutherland, shot on 35mm film and hand-printed, are carefully composed and conceived studies which use the camera's framing eye to convey rich metaphor and a sense of quiet, spiritual wonderment."

He concluded that:

"Cook offers a fresh, nuanced vision of these extraordinary topographical and historical landscapes."




MALIN II is a sound and visual work by Alastair Cook, conceived for Edinburgh's Hidden Door Festival and performed on the 31st January 2010; it was also shown as part of Sutherland | Caithness

The MALIN series is an exploration in audiovisual meditative landscapes; MALIN III has just been commissioned and will be performed with live cello accompaniment in Edinburgh on 26th June 2010 as part of 'Is This a Test?'




Exit is a short film by DISSIMILAR [artists Alastair Cook and James Norton, based in Edinburgh and London respectively], based on a narrative by Alastair Cook:

“Lifting himself up carefully, he felt his way to the door, sparks of bright pain puncturing the black. He flicked the switch. Eyes shut, he listened to the building. He heard the boards expanding, warming under his feet. The dull pulse in his head slowed. He held fast to the door frame and breathed in. Light cut a knife behind his eyes.”

DISSIMILAR shoot on miniDV, using realtime raw footage to build suspense, harnessing the low-fi elements of miniDV to produce distinct and impressive free-budget films. Exit was shot on location in a derelict Royal Mail sorting office in central London.