An Overheard Conversation

A key motif for Thinkers in Residence was a silent film showing Freud and his childhood friend Emanuel Lowy just talking, unaware they are being filmed. The artist Pierre Bismuth has followed the movement of Freud’s right hand during this conversation and here is a conversation between two Thinkers in Residence about what they see. Thinker 1: “This is my fantasy… that he would come and talk to Freud about all his new objects he’d bought. Its not shoes and handbags but its kind of like that loving thing…like I have it with my sister..let me show you my new shoes, let me lay it all out so you can see something of my life” Thinker 2: “Yeah, show me your stuff..I love the fact that Freud is unconscious of being watched..Anna Freud said her father hated being photographed and always pulled a face” Thinker 1: “Could you love Freud any more at this point? He was self-conscious as well!” Thinker 2: “Yeah, Anna Freud loved this film because it was one of the few times that he was caught on film being natural. There’s no sound of course, so we don’t know what the subtext is…course by tracing his right hand there’s a link to psychoanalysis trying to see the unconscious movement..” Thinker 1: “I can’t get over how Freud is just talking non stop..I find that so reassuring on so many levels…the father of psychoanalysis is not a fake and he really does need to talk as much as all the other people who have benefitted from psychoanalysis” Thinker 2: “they clearly know each other well enough to have roles. There are times when they are not saying anything…I love that, those pauses…….Of course the right hand is still moving..” To hear this conversation go here.  Click HERE to listen to more conversations about pretty much everything in the project archive.