I First Saw the Light

I First Saw the Light channels the vestige of Joseph Carey Merricks surviving output Better known as The Elephant Man he produced a little noticed twopage autobiography sold to those attending a freak show in which he was displayed opposite the royal London hospital in Londons Whitechapel High Street There is one surviving copy of the pamphlet Its text is coupled with starkly filmed sequences of a model church he also constructed now hermetically sealed within a glass and ebony container together forming the basis for this poignant silent film A reminder of Merricks profound humanity in the face of extreme adversity it also serves as an autobiographical footnote and reminder of David Lynchs eponymous feature film on Merrick in which the model is a central motif and metaphor for his psychological and emotional fluctuations