Je t’aime.

In one video,  the artist stopped people in the street and asked them to look into the camera and say  ‘Je t’aime’ (I love you).   Her subjects found it so difficult.  Their body language was so defensive.   They laughed, looked away, crossed their arms, shuffled their feet, lit a cigarette.... Read more »

Beauty with Balls; an appreciation of Ingrid Bergman

I think I was in love with her from the start as she gazed steadily at me with moist lips and knowing eyes from the flickering monochrome  screens of such classics as Casablanca, Notorious, Spellbound, The Bells of St Mary’s,  and For whom the bell tolls.   Her face expressed vulnerability and innocence,... Read more »

Possession; on stage and off it.

Good actors, declared Sir Richard Eyre, speaking last week at The Guild of Psychotherapists annual lecture, have to be possessed by the characters they are playing.  They have to immerse themselves in their character’s world, feel what it is like to be them, experience the passion and then act it... Read more »

Duet for one; the destructive narcissism of the performer

Stephanie was a virtuoso violinist until she was struck down with multiple sclerosis. Now her fingering is clumsy, her bowing uneven, her music sounds scratchy and discordant. She can’t do it anymore. She is destroyed. Music was her whole life. It was her joy... Read more »