#40 / Shannon Taggart, "SÉANCE" photography and spiritualism

For episode 40 we welcome American artist and photographer Shannon Taggart and her documentary work with the spiritualist community culminating in the magnificent photo book SÉANCE. Her project evolved into an eighteen-year journey that has taken her around the world in search of ‘ectoplasm’—the elusive substance that is said to be both spiritual and material. We discuss what inspired Shannon's journey as well as some of the strange experiences she had and how it changed her. With SÉANCE, Taggart offers haunting images exploring Spiritualist practices in the US, England and Europe: 150 of her original photographs, many of which have never been published, as well as rare historical photographs. Supported with a commentary on her experiences, a foreword by Dan Aykroyd, creator of Ghostbusters (1984) and fourth-generation Spiritualist, and illustrated essays from curator Andreas Fischer and artist Tony Oursler, SÉANCE examines Spiritualism’s relationship with human celebrity, its connections to art, science, and technology, and its intrinsic bond with the medium of photography. There were a few problems with the audio so apologies if its a bit up and down in places. Show notes: https://www.shannontaggart.com https://twitter.com/seance_book https://www.instagram.com/seance_book/ Keep in touch? TWITTER - https://twitter.com/spiritbox3  PLUS SHOW - https://www.patreon.com/spiritbox  YOUTUBE - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe7wDjqjIVyFDS9bxm1esBA Music by Obliqka - https://soundcloud.com/obliqka