September 2, 2012

The residents of RD Laing’s Kingsley Hall – in pictures

In 1965, the psychiatrist opened a radical treatment centre in London. Here are some portraits of former residents by Dominic Harris, and images from the time

Kingsley Hall: Dorothee, Kingsley Hall Resident 1968-69 — Dorothee von Grieff : resident 1968-69

"Ronnie Lang was a shaman, he had an incredible gift just to listen, to be in the present, to tune into the other person's world and experience, and I had never met that before."
Photograph: Dominic Harris Photograph: Action images

Kingsley Hall: Francis Gillet, Kingsley Hall resident 1966-70 — Francis Gillet: resident 1966-70

"Ronnie [Laing] said, 'Go mad, young man', and I did. I took him at his word, and I went as mad as I possibly could, and at no time did he try and stop me." Photograph: Dominic Harris

Kingsley Hall: James Greene, Kingsley Hall, Resident 1968-69 — James Greene: visitor 1966-68, resident 1968-69

"I did something that was against the whole ideology of the place: I tried to have [another resident] sectioned." Photograph: Dominic Harris

Kingsley Hall: Jutta Laing, Kingsley Hall resident, 1966-67 — Jutta Laing: resident, 1966-67

"Ronnie was one of those people who you either loved or misunderstood. Some people thought he was crazy himself." Photograph: Dominic Harris

Kingsley Hall: Pamela Lee, Kingsley Hall Resident, 1967-68Resident, 1967-68 — Pamela Lee: resident, 1967-68 "I remember that the people around us [local residents] didn't actually like us very much." Photograph: Dominic Harris

Kingsley Hall: A therapist at Kingsley Hall, 1965 — The 'incredibly charismatic' RD Laing at Kingsley Hall, 1965 Photograph: Dorothee von Grieff

Kingsley Hall: Evening meal at Kingsley Hall, 1965 — Evening meal at Kingsley Hall, 1965 Photograph: Dorothee von Grieff

Kingsley Hall: Helen, a patient at Kingsley Hall in 1965 — Helen, a resident, plays guitar on the roof at Kingsley Hall in 1965 Photograph: Dorothee von Grieff

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