(unreleased to public)

In this poetic short film, artist Maïly Beyrens Xu delves into the extensive archives of their late grandfather, Albert Yaying Xu, shortly after his passing. As they sifted through his vast collection of recordings, an artistic journey emerged — one that allows viewers to first experience the world through Yaying’s eyes and ears, only for the perspective to shift, letting us witness how the world saw him.

With a deep focus on sound, the film offers an intimate view into the life of the renowned acoustician, exploring how he transformed the fleeting nature of sound into something tangible through architecture. Behind the scenes of some of the world’s most iconic venues, we witness moments of sound testing, scale models, and other critical stages of his work. But interwoven with these professional moments is a portrait of Yaying’s love for his family — a connection that permeated both his career and personal life.

As Maïly Beyrens Xu reflects, “While archiving and digitizing thousands of minutes of footage, I saw so much of myself, and my grandfather’s friends and family. It was as though family was a driving force in his career, and his career was a thriving part of his family life. Everything was intertwined for him, equally full of passion and dedication.”


This film is not only a tribute to the groundbreaking work of Albert Yaying Xu but also a personal exploration of the relationships that shaped both his professional and personal worlds.

His profound influence on Maïly Beyrens Xu’s own artistic career — from handing them the camera, to teaching them the art of deep listening & observation — has deeply shaped the way they approach their own work.