The Shining is a 16mm film first exhibited as part of Terrestrial Chains, an ongoing research project by Macdonald which seeks to counter image military imperialism in Aotearoa through film, photography and conversations with activist figures.
The project documents sites of significance to US military contractor Rocket Lab, tethering the company's space travel fantasy aesthetic to the tangible, earthly environments where their military projects take place. Evoking the style of classic documentary cinema, Macdonald filmed these sites in black and white, which in turned is juxtaposed with technical and symbolic codes of the Gothic.
The Shining was filmed in the conference room where Macdonald attended a Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment feedback session on the proposed New Zealand National Space Policy. The film is named after the 1980 horror film, and appropriates that film's dolly shots, miniatures, and maze imagery to evoke the labyrinthine experience of attempting to participate in government process.
