Renowned filmmaker David Lynch has said that he doesn’t want to explain the process behind his art.
Speaking to The Guardian, the 72-year-old Twin Peaks creator said to talk about art is to “reduce it” saying that such discussion “make[s] it smaller.”
“When you finish anything, people want to talk about it. And I think it’s almost like a crime.”
He added: “A film or a paining – each thing is its own sort of language and it’s not right to try to say the same thing in words.”
Following the success of the acclaimed Twin Peaks revival last year – almost thirty years after the original – Lynch was often asked to explain the meaning behind the show’s surrealist leanings.
“The words are not there,” Lynch said in the Guardian interview. “The language of film, cinema, is the language it was put into, and English language – it’s not going to translate. It’s going to lose.”
As well as Twin Peaks, Lynch has produced some of the most acclaimed films in cinema across his 40-year-career including Eraserhead, Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive.
Lynch went on to compare his work to that of a magician.
“A film or TV show is like a magic act, and magicians don’t tell how they did a thing.”
Lynch has co-written a book, Room To Dream where he outlines a chronology of recollections and memories of his life and career, rather than an explanation of them. The book was released earlier this year.
The director also added that he thinks in terms “feelings” when working on a new project, rather than linear ideas or plots.
“It’s a feeling, more of an intuition. It’s the idea that you’ve fallen in love with, and you try to stay true to that. You see the way that cinema can say that idea, and it’s thrilling to you.”
“They’re like fish. If you get an idea that’s thrilling to you, put your attention on it and these other fish will swim into it. It’s like a bait. They’ll hook on to it and you’ll get more ideas. And you just pull them in.”
Whilst no official confirmation of a Twin Peaks revival has emerged, Lynch reportedly excited fans recently at a book signing when he teased that he may explore the characters more in the future.