Eye Myth In Profile: Susan MacWilliam, “Pull Down”

Conjuring up the dark spaces of the séance room, ‘Pull Down’ intimately observes the repeated collapsing and slumping of a girl through the focusing lens of a camera. Continuing the artist’s explorations of the phenomena of spiritualism ‘Pull Down’ draws attention to the role of the camera as observer of the medium within historic psychical research studies.

Susan MacWilliam’s work investigates obscure and overlooked histories; the images and narratives of the esoteric, the historic and the peripheral are explored. Her films reflect on the research, experimental apparatus, and personalities of those involved in parapsychology and the study of perceptual phenomena. Her films have explored phenomena such as Dermo Optical Perception, table tilting, psychic abilities, X-ray vision, ectoplasm, telepathy and extra-sensory perception. Susan MacWilliam represented Northern Ireland at the 2009 Venice Biennale; her video works are held in the Drama and Literature Section of the British Library Sound Archive.

Film festivals include: Alchemy Film and Moving Image Festival, Hawick; Swedenborg Film Festival, London; Montreal Underground Film Festival, Montreal; Short Circuit, Brighton; Stockholm Experimental And Animation Film Festival, Stockholm; Portobello Film Festival, London; BlowUp Arthouse Film Festival (Official Selection), Chicago; IndieCork Film Festival, Cork; CINESONIKA 3, Derry; LUX Open, London.