La Fête des Fous
An experimental documentary on the Stewart brothers, two Dundee tattoo artists, and the harmony of opposites
Client: Stewart Brothers Tattoo
Year: 2026
Location: Dundee, CoSTAR Realtime Lab & Stewart Brothers Tattoo studio
Format: Experimental short documentary
Fort Film Services: Production, cinematography, edit, colour
The Brief
La Fête des Fous is an experimental documentary about the Stewart brothers, two globally renowned tattoo artists working out of Dundee, with very different styles and temperaments. The film follows them as they collaborate on a single piece for the first time: a tattoo carrying the Latin phrase concordia contrarium (the harmony of opposites) applied to a client over the course of a single day.
About the Film
The Stewart brothers are different in almost every respect, with distinct aesthetics and practices. The premise of La Fête des Fous is that those differences are the point.
At the centre of it is a single tattoo: concordia contrarium, the harmony of opposites, applied to a client by both brothers over the course of a day. It’s the first time they’ve collaborated directly on a single piece, and the film treats the work as kind of slow conversation between two practices that aren’t supposed to meet.
The Jester threads through the film, reciting fragments: "the fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows he is a fool." The brothers’ decision to live entirely inside their art sits at the edge of the film as something celebrated rather than explained.
The Approach
The central sequence, the brothers' joint tattoo, was shot over the course of a day inside an LED volume, with a real-time 3D environment projected on the wall behind the work.
Alongside the volume sequence, we filmed candid interview material at the brothers' own Dundee studio, capturing them at work on regular clients, the daily practice that the volume sequence elevates into ritual.
The film was developed during a residency at CoSTAR's Ideate programme, which provided studio time and gave the production its initial three days inside the volume.
Film Coming Summer 2026
La Fête des Fous is currently in post-production, with the finished film expected in June 2026.
Credits
Director & Editor: Scott Dee
Cinematographer & Colourist: Alan McIlrath
Virtual Production / Unreal Engine: Mark McGlinchey / Obscura
Camera Assistant: Robyn Thomson
Gaffer: Dan Koss
Sound Recordist: Chris James Marr