What You See Is Where You’re At

A portrait of the 1960s Scottish anti-psychiatrist and guru, R. D. Laing (1927–1989), who famously perceived a kind of wisdom in schizophrenia, giving it value as more than an illness.

The subject is based on unique research into the ‘Kingsley Hall’ experiment (Philadelphia Association 1965-1969) on the initiative of the Scottish psychiatrist, psychoanalyst and 60’s zeitgeist writer R.D. Laing. This brave new experiment consisted in breaking down the established norms of ‘treatment’ for people undergoing severe mental distress or breakdown. In Kingsley Hall the pre-conceived hierarchy of doctor-patient relations was dismantled, henceforth no one was encouraged to act out the roles of ‘doctors’ or ‘patients’ (making it very difficult to distinguish one from the other). The film, which is a collage of ‘found’ and archived sound/film recordings, provides an insight into the experiences of the residents at Kingsley Hall, reappraising its relevance in our contemporary society of oppressive psychiatry and multi-national pharmaceutical companies. (Meike Behm)