Korri Singh Aulakh is a world-class circus artist from Essex, UK, who was recently diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis, a chronic muscular fatigue disease without a known cure.

Swedish-born filmmaker Bertil Nilsson directs this conceptual profile of the trapezist by layering VHS, 16mm film and digital footage to represent Aulakh’s life on the high wire as he juggles his mental and physical health, work and play. 

“I came to the film with a visual approach that finds the balance between documentary and abstraction,” says the director. “I want to bring the viewer into the story through Korri’s senses and provoke a visceral response.” 

Figure 3 is the third instalment in Figures, Nilsson’s new series of human-interest stories from the world of dance and contemporary circus. In each film the subject’s words and movements are paired with Nilsson’s distinct visual style to reveal intimate tales that touch on universal themes of love, hope and loss.

“In this series there is a challenge to be open, to experiment and fail, grow and find something unexpected,” says Nilsson. “If there was a central idea to the films it would be that vulnerability is strength.”