I Can See You

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I Can See You was created Summer 2020 during a virtual artist residency at North Lincolnshire Museum. The film reflects on the behaviours towards women accused of being witches, drawing from research on the witch hunt era in England and inspiration from a local Lincolnshire book of folklore tales and beliefs.  These were normal women who lived amongst other people in villages and towns. The film questioned why did people fear them so much that they would want them injured or even killed? This extract by Malcolm Gaskill on witchcraft had a big influence on the making of the film. 

'Witches are human. They are the other and yet they are also us. They are the living projections of feelings they defy rationalisation or reconciliation: amity and enmity, compassion and cruelty, self-confidence and fear’.  

The film studies our own behaviours, where individuals are blamed for the misfortunes of others, looking at the relationship dynamics between the victim and the offender. It addresses the behaviours of ‘othering’: the ‘them and us’ approach, which is very relevant in today’s society where we demonise and dehumanise the ‘inferior’ other group. This could include male vs female, black vs white or smaller groups like Jews vs Gentiles.

The fictional narrative is based in a contemporary world. There is a frenzy of fear and anxiety, triggered by a series of events that relate to some of the ideologies surrounding the start of the witch hunt era such as unusual weather, increase in population and lack of food provisions. These disasters would make people think and behave irrationally. Research on contemporary behaviour and language informed the narrative, focusing on the immigration news during Brexit, the pandemic and online influencers.

'Brilliant film. I particularly like the use of the newsreaders reporting the news in a contemporary and relatable way, the feeling is not too dissimilar to the feeling from Covid, Brexit and global politics reportings; when something is reported in this manner with conviction it becomes believable. Scary yet excellent work!'
Oliver Squirrell, The Artist Wingman