Film Screening
A Sudden Glimpse to Deeper Things

Film maker Mark Cousins climbs inside the creative mind of British modernist artist Wilhelmina Barns-Graham.

20 years after her death, filmmaker Mark Cousins looks at the life and work of Scottish artist Wilhelmina Barns-Graham.

A personal journey into the neglected life and creative mind of “Willi”, who never received the recognition she deserved in her lifetime (mostly because of her gender) but is now regarded as a pioneer of the Modernist movement.

In 1949, she visited the Grindelwald glacier and experienced an epiphany that rewired her brain and forever changed her approach to her art. The insightful, poetic narration, along with diary readings from Tilda Swinton, links her life, loves and travels with her distinct way of seeing the world due to the rare condition of synaesthesia, where people, numbers and letters are perceived as colours.

Set against stunning landscapes, this is a love-letter to an imagination that shows a secret code. Cousins gives us plenty of time to contemplate her paintings, alongside some beautifully immersive imagery to represent her internal world.

Director: Mark Cousins.

Cast: Mark Cousins, Tilda Swinton, Wilhelmina Barns-Graham.