Past event
Summoning The Spirits: Séances and Creative Practice in Britain, France and Beyond - Pay as you can
In 1848, Maggie and Kate Fox, two teenage sisters from Hydesville, NY, played a prank on their parents which quickly sparked an international phenomenon. The girls claimed that the knocking sounds heard in the middle of the night were produced by the spirit of a dead man with whom they could communicate. So began a global craze for spirit contact, with countless mediums offering a paying public ever more elaborate séances. In this event, Dr David Evans looks at writers and artists — from Arthur Conan Doyle and Victor Hugo to Georgina Houghton — who were enthusiastic participants. Drawing examples from literature, film, the visual arts and opera, we will explore our enduring fascination with spirit communication and look at the particular role the spirits have played in creative practice.