HOW TO BE A SURREALIST WITH PHILIPPA PERRY

BBC Four, Tuesday, 9pm

MELTING clocks and lobster telephones – the perplexing images of surrealist art are instantly recognisable to millions. But for psychotherapist Philippa Perry, the radical ideas which inspired the original artists are often overlooked.

In this film, Philippa takes a playful journey into the unconscious to discover the deep roots of Surrealism established in the political upheavals of 1920s Europe and the new ways of understanding the human psyche.

Philippa sets up her own Bureau of Surrealist Research on the streets of Paris, inviting members of the public to describe their dreams; uncovers the role of women in surrealism and puts on a screening of Dalí and Buñuel’s famous film Un Chien Andalou for a group of unsuspecting art students; and tries some Surrealist techniques with art critic Adrian Searle.