Beth Doherty

Did Svankmajer save Surrealism? Beth Doherty

Surrealism is a topic that I have always been drawn to, especially through the intriguing designs of the related film posters. I particularly like this artistic movement for its paradoxical combinations and the idea of tapping into dreams and the unconscious mind has been for me an equally fascinating realm. When reflecting upon surrealism's origin, it became apparent that it was predominantly involved with visual artwork and writing. Further research led me to a surrealist quest: to discover the new modes of practice to push the boundaries between dream and reality and introduce this potential of surrealism into film. Surrealists were deeply influenced by Freud's theory of dreams and the unconscious and to employ this into film, applying special techniques such as superimposition, dissolving and slow motion. These techniques were employed to support the surrealists' desire that film should correspond to the nature of dreaming.