Event overview
Join us for an evening to honour the great David Lynch (1946–2025), director, writer, painter, musician, storyteller and visionary.
Words are insufficient to describe Lynch’s films, and perhaps even unnecessary. The filmmaker is celebrated for his unique narratives, creating deeply profound cinematic experiences, mapping the eerie and tender places of our subconscious, where desire collides with dread. His films pulse with the strange electricity of dreams, inviting us to linger in the dark corners we might otherwise avoid, where the ordinary unfurls into the sublime.
Lynch has inspired many people across generations, touching countless hearts with his philosophy and artistic contributions. Even those unfamiliar with the Lynchian world admired his magnetic personality, feeling as though he was personally inviting them into his deep world through his films, paintings, photographs, and music. Lynch possessed a rare universality, which is magical. His works allowed audiences to embrace ambiguity, freeing them to explore their own interpretations without searching for definitive answers. This openness mirrored life itself, where questions often remain unresolved.
Through his art, Lynch shaped our understanding of beauty and form. He taught us to look into the obscure, the affect of imagery, and to trust that not every idea needs to be explained and find its definitive origin. For Lynch, the role of the artist was absolute: to use existence as a vessel for the purest expression.
The memorial screening will begin with a selection of Lynch’s early short films. This will be followed by two talks by Dr Lindsay Anne Hallam and a joint talk by Jamie Ruers and Stefan Marianski. After a refreshments break, Lynch’s feature film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992) will be screened.
Dr Lindsay Hallam is a senior lecturer in film at the University of East London, an author, freelance film journalist and filmmaker. She specialises in the work of David Lynch, having published Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me for the Devil’s Advocates series and delivered the keynote address Dreams of Dark and Troubling Things: David Lynch as Horror Auteur. Her research also explores melodrama and women’s trauma in Lynch’s films.
Jamie Ruers is an art historian and Public Programme Events Manager at the Foundling Museum. She delivers talks and is widely published on the history of art, film and fashion. She was the Public Programme Manager at the Freud Museum London. Her first edited book Freud/Lynch: Behind the Curtain (eds. Marianski & Ruers, Phoenix Publishing, 2023) was a collection of essays from a major international conference from 2018.
Stefan Marianski is an author, psychoanalyst and Learning Manager at the Freud Museum London. He has organised numerous events and conferences, and has written and lectured on topics including dreams, sexuality, anthropology, surrealism, and masculinity. He co-edited the book Freud/Lynch: Behind the Curtain.
Dates & times
| Date | Time | Add to calendar |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Feb 2025 |
5:00pm - 9:00pm Alcoholic refeshments will be available. |
Accessibility
If you are attending an event and need the College to help with any mobility requirements you may have, please contact the event organiser in advance to ensure we can accommodate your needs.
