Derek Jarman, Electric Fairy (still), 1971, video, 6 mins 30 secs. Image courtesy the artist, James Mackay and Amanda Wilkinson, London.

Derek Jarman
Electric Fairy
1971
16mm
6 minutes 30 seconds
Edition of 5 + 1 AP

In this early moving image work – a recovered Super 8mm film, digitized by James Mackay – a near-nude protagonist toys with and eventually eats a live caterpillar. Through close-cropping, a sensual atmosphere, and symbolic props, Jarman evokes an erotic undercurrent that explores desire and bodily transformation.