Mum! Mum! is a short film about doubling, masking and rehearsing, through the language and techniques used by wigmakers.
Taking The Mother as Stunt Performer as an identity, the film documents Louise Davies making an impression of my head using cling film, celotape, eyebrow pencil and marker pen, which she then uses to shape a headblock so that a bespoke wig can be made. Mum! Mum! presents both women as sculptors whilst the title alludes to their roles as mothers.
The soundtrack is performed by local musician, singer and mother Sophie Newman, who recorded herself whilst her youngest was watching television, capturing the tentative exercise of finding her voice and rhythm again after a long period distanced from those skills.
Mum! Mum! has been shown at independent film festivals including 2 Screens, Two Queens, Leicester, 2023 and Two Short Nights, Exeter Phoenix, 2023. It is also part of the immersive installation U & I, which has been shown at Eastside Projects, Birmingham, 2023 and Exeter Phoenix, 2024.
