Sance: Artist talk by Shannon Taggart

About

6pm Doors open6.30 Welcome by Annebella Pollen
6.35 Talk by Shannon Taggart, followed by Q&A
Shannon Taggart became aware of Spiritualism as a teenager, when her cousin received a message from a medium that revealed details about her grandfather's death. In 2001, while working as a photographer, she began taking pictures where that message was receivedLily Dale, New York, home to the world's largest Spiritualist communityproceeding to other such communities as Englands Arthur Findlay College. Taggart expected to spend one summer figuring out the tricks of the Spiritualist trade. Instead, Spiritualisms mysterious processes, earnest practitioners, and neglected photographic history became an inspiration. Her project evolved into an eighteen-year journey that has taken her around the world in search of ectoplasmthe elusive substance that is said to be both spiritual and material.In this talk, Taggart introduces her project and the resulting book, Sance, which offers haunting images exploring Spiritualist practices in the US and Europe in conjunction with rare historical photographs. Sance examines Spiritualisms relationship with human celebrity, its connections to art, science, and technology, and its intrinsic bond with the medium of photography.