Psyche Abandoned
Synopsis
The film weaves together real and mythical events to create connections between the history of the Crystal Palace in London and the sculpture called Psyche Abandoned. The story reveals how a moment in the life of a young woman called Psyche was captured in marble and travelled through time and space to sit in the same park overlooking South London for the last 170 years, while world wars, fires, explosions, royalty, music events, funfairs and circuses have rushed past her in endless succession.
This ‘moment’ is the only constant in a story of splendour and spectacle, and like all the best stories, if only half of it is true it is still an incredible tale.
Details
- Year
- 2023
- Type of project
- Shorts
- Running time
- 17 minutes
- Format
- 4K Digital
- Director
-
Jane Thorburn
- Producer
- Jane Thorburn
- Co-Producer
- Jane Thorburn
- Executive Producer
- Jane Thorburn
- Editor
- Jane Thorburn
- Screenwriter
- Jane Thorburn
- Director of Photography
- Jane Thorburn
- Sound
- Jane Thorburn
- Composer
- Various
- Principal cast
- Juliet Stevenson
Genre
Categories
Production Status
Production Company
Sales Company
Jane Thorburn
Page updates
This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.
See also
You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.
Freud's Lost Lecture
Director: Jane Thorburn
Year: 2019
The writer Deborah Levy imagines a lost lecture written by Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis. It investigates an hysterical woman dancing through time, snow leopards lapping milk in the kitchen of Freud’s last house, and a journey under the ground on a ghost train.
Joy, It's Nina
Director: Jane Thorburn
Year: 2012
Shot in England and Nigeria this evocative film builds on the lives of African women living in the UK separated from their families. The stories are based on news reports and Joy's own life, including voicemails left on her answer-machine by the legendary singer Nina Simone, her self proclaimed ‘Spiritual Mother’.
Douglas Gordon
Director: Finlay Pretsell
Year: 2026
Under the skin of Douglas Gordon, probing what it means to be an artist. Capturing the chaotic energy of a working studio and blurring the lines between art, performance, and reality. The filmmaker's presence challenges the authenticity of the process, exposing the tensions, collaboration, and unpredictability of documenting a boundary-pushing artist.