26 film-poems presented as
FILMS, INSTALLATION, POETRY BOOK.
IMMERSIVE EXHIBITION IN DEVELOPMENT
POETRY BOOK 1 of 4 AVAILABLE NOW
Nichola Bruce + Rebecca E Marshall
The Strangeness of Seeing
WATCH: PERCEPTION
A lyrical and visceral sketchbook of moving image and poetry that intimately explores multiple layers of the seeing experience, our ever-present uncertainties and contradictions, and the fallibilities that bind us and make us human.
This project is a long-term creative partnership between Bruce + Marshall. At its heart is a series of twenty-six film-poems, of which the above film, PERCEPTION, is one. Each piece illuminates intimate elements of strange, fleeting experiences—inner and outer moments where the personal can transform into the universal.
Strangeness of Seeing originated as a four-year NESTA Fellowship awarded to Nichola Bruce in 2003, dedicated to the exploration of perception under the mentorship of renowned neuroscientist R.L. Gregory.
As 2024-5 Screen South Showcase Artists, Bruce + Marshall tested exhibiting The Strangeness of Seeing as an immersive experience at Electro Studios, Hastings in January 2025, and as part of a group exhibition ‘REVEAL’ at Glassworks, Folkestone in September 2025.
They aim to further develop the project as an immersive and participatory landscape of the mind.
Retrospectively, The Strangeness of Seeing films have been presented at festivals and venues including the Locarno Film Festival, Optronica Festival (BFI), The Foundry (London), Hastings Castle, and the Herstmonceux Science Centre (Sussex).
“The Strangeness of Seeing' gets inside your head, you become aware of yourself as machinery: soft, fragile, and above all mortal.”
- Simon Ings, The Guardian
CREDITS
Filmmakers BRUCE + MARSHALL
Music BRUCE + MARSHALL
Thanks to Sarah Macnee, Venu Dhupa and all at NESTA.
Jo Nolan, Rhidian Davis, Gavin Roberts, Matthew de Pulford and all at Screen South.
Keith Griffith, Simon Ings, Christos Hatjoullis, Sam Sharples and Sue Tahran for inspiration and support.
