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If you’re looking for a show that grabs you by the collar and refuses to let go, Rachel Maclean’s They’ve Got Your Eyes at FACT Liverpool is exactly that. It’s bold, disorienting, visually overwhelming, and utterly unforgettable — the kind of exhibition that reminds you why video art can be so thrillingly strange.

If you are looking to book accommodation when visiting Liverpool, Ropewalks Hotel is located a few streets away from FACT Liverpool.

🎥 A Multi‑Screen World You Walk Through, Not Just Watch

Maclean takes over the gallery with a sprawling video installation presented across multiple screens. Visitors move through the space as the film unfolds, shifting from one surreal environment to another. The experience feels less like watching a film and more like being absorbed into one.

The lighting is intentionally minimal, heightening the sense of immersion. One screen is even angled, forcing your body to adjust as much as your eyes. A slime‑coated old‑fashioned lamp glows eerily in the corner, and the final exit space features found plastics arranged like uncanny street scenes — a reminder of the artificial worlds we build and discard.

Looking to recreate Rachel Maclean’s cinematic atmosphere at home? A Retractable Integrated Projector is a great option — its compact, mini‑sized design makes it easy to project onto a variety of surfaces with no fuss.

👁️ Victorian Echoes, Fairy‑Tale Creatures, and Maclean’s Signature Hyper‑Theatrical Style

Maclean introduces a Victorian‑esque central figure alongside a cast of fantastical creatures, including child‑like fairies. Her trademark visual language is everywhere:

• exaggerated ruffles and wig‑like hair
• painted‑on blush
• theatrical costuming
• tightly controlled framing and zooms
• deliberate cropping of heads in close‑ups

These choices create a world that feels part‑storybook, part‑nightmare, and entirely Maclean.

🧪 A Narrative That Spirals from Empire‑Building to Slime‑Spewing Chaos

The story centres on a main character who declares:

“If he would build a city, I shall build an empire.”

From there, the narrative escalates into a bizarre, almost alchemical journey. The final scenes erupt into projectile slime vomiting before narrowing in on a dual figure — a moment that’s both grotesque and mesmerising.

Throughout the film, Victorian motifs reappear:

• an aqueduct that plays with blocked imagery
• the word “Boulevard!” hinting at French continental flair
• a mint parlour
• Big Ben appearing, disappearing, and reappearing

These fragments create a sense of historical déjà vu, as if the past is glitching.

If you’re curious to learn more about aqueducts, take a look at the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct — a remarkable masterpiece of the Industrial Revolution.

📚 Miniature Books, Pixies, and a Meeting of Professionals

At one point, the protagonist is handed a dictionary‑like object that shrinks into a tiny book. A pixie is then violently squashed into a medicine bottle — a moment that’s both comic and unsettling.

Earlier in the film, the main character peers into a meeting of professionals who laugh about the dead. A voice declares:

“It feels we owe the dead an apology for the misunderstanding.”

The laughter that follows is chilling.

Soon after, the protagonist is cast out:

“Condemned to dwell within its heckling.”

This marks a shift into a more fantastical, dream‑logic sequence.

Intrigued by the miniature book and how tiny formats can be used creatively in art? Draw Tiny & Make Great Art is an inspiring guide packed with step‑by‑step projects for crafting magical miniature worlds.

🌌 From Victorian Parlours to Outer Space

The film then becomes increasingly surreal.

• tiny flashing lights fill the scene
• Victorian steam‑bent Thonet chairs appear
• the camera zooms into an eye
• suddenly we’re hurtling through space

Maclean collapses time, place, and logic, creating a universe that feels stitched together from cultural memory, digital fantasy, and psychological unease.

If you’d like to explore Rachel Maclean’s practice further, Rachel Maclean: Mama Mimi Duck is the first comprehensive monograph to chart her work from the early 2020s onward.

⭐ A Show That Leaves You Unsure Where to Look Next — In the Best Possible Way

They’ve Got Your Eyes is overwhelming, intentionally so. It’s a sensory overload of colour, costume, narrative fragments, and emotional whiplash. You leave unsure what you’ve just witnessed — but absolutely certain it was worth seeing.

For fans of experimental film, digital art, or Rachel Maclean’s uniquely unsettling aesthetic, this exhibition is a must‑visit. FACT Liverpool has given her the perfect stage, and she fills it with a world that is equal parts satire, spectacle, and fever dream.

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Real Animation Works provides training for film and game designers, available both online and in person. Many of the techniques Rachel Maclean uses in her video work are covered throughout their courses, including AutoCAD, 3ds Max, and Maya.

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