photographs by alchemist’s shack 2 west of england ... · alchemist’s shack took place in 2009....
TRANSCRIPT
Opus M
agnum: Th
eatrum Chem
icum Britannicum
Originally planned in 1998, O
pus Magnum
: Theatrum C
hemicum
Britannicum
is a project developed to install an architectural artwork at
Mildred’s Lane in rural Pennsylvania. The project explores em
erging relationships betw
een poetic visual and conceptual languages encountered in alchem
ical literature and considered in relation to contemporary
discourses. The first Mildred’s Lane session for w
hat has become know
n as the Alchem
ist’s Shack took place in 2009. The project is envisioned to be a physical m
anifestation of Elias Ashm
ole’s 1554 compendium
of alchem
y, Theatrum C
hemicum
Britannicum. The project provides,
on an international stage, the opportunity to extend the contemporary
debate into the relationships between art, science, hum
an enquiry and the building of epistem
ological structures, both metaphoric and actual. The
installation comprising collections of objects and tableaux, takes the form
of a built and inhabited space. It is a vernacular building constructed to reflect the rural architecture indigenous to Pennsylvania and referential to sim
ilar buildings in the counties of Lancashire and Cum
bria in the North
West of England.
Alchemist’s Shack 2. July 13th – A
ugust 5th 2012. Robert W
illiams w
as the resident artist at M
ildred’s Lane in Pennsylvania, with H
ilmar Schäfer
as resident theorist. The project included presentations by Mark D
ion, A
lison Pebworth, H
ilmar Schäfer, R
obert William
s and Bryan W
ilson. A
visiting speaker programm
e also included: Brian C
onley, Moyra D
avey, M
atthew Friday, Thyrza G
oodeve, Heide H
atry, Silvia Kolbow
ski, Eve A
ndrée Larameé, C
layton Lewis, Iris Priest, Jam
es Prosek, Alison Sm
ith, C
hen Tamir, Peter W
arny and Am
y Yoes. The 2012 Fellows w
ere: Maris-
sa Lee Benedict, H
eather Donahue, B
etsy Huete, C
hristina Joseph, Luke K
nox, Liz Morrison, C
orey Riddell, Leslie R
ogers, and Natalie W
ilkin; w
ith support from Paul B
artow, Bobby B
edford, Bryan W
ilson and Aron
William
s.
ww
w.mildredslane.com
Published by INFO
RMATIO
N A
S MATERIA
L. York. 2013 w
ww.inform
ationasmaterial.org
With support from
the University of Cum
bria w
ww.cum
bria.ac.uk
Leslie Rogers is a visual and perform
ance artist from Philadelphia. She received
her MFA
in Sculpture & Extended M
edia from V
irginia Com
monw
ealth Univer-
sity and her BFA
from M
aryland Institute College of A
rt. Exhibiting widely in
the USA
, Rogers has directed and perform
ed as a founding mem
ber of Pup-peTyranny, a D
IY theatre collective and has acted as an organizer of touring
performances w
ith Philadelphia-based Puppet Uprising.
Dr. H
ilmar Schäfer is a cultural sociologist at Europa-U
niversität Viadrina,
Frankfurt (Oder), G
ermany. A
mongst his research interests is the relationship be-
tween artistic and scientific m
odes of knowledge production. H
is areas of study include social theory, sociology of art and cultural theory, and he has published on Pierre B
ourdieu, Michel Foucault and Pragm
atism. H
is current work centres
on the social significance and the specialized and vernacular practices of cultural heritage.
Natalie W
ilkin graduated with a B
achelor of Design degree from
the Queens-
land College of A
rt in 2003. A m
ultidisciplinary installation artist, Wilkin uses
historical narratives as a reference point to create detailed environments to
inhabit and explore. She is interested in the notions of transformation, ritual, and
identity within the context of history and the A
ustralian environment.
Professor Robert W
illiams is an artist and academ
ic. He has been leader of
the Fine Art Program
me at C
umbria Institute of the A
rts, now the U
niversity of C
umbria since 1998. H
is interdisciplinary practice and collaborations encom-
passes interests in epistemology and system
s of knowledge from
the hermetic to
the scientific.
Acknow
ledgements
Special thanks to: J. Morgan Puett, M
ark Dion, Paul B
artow, Aron W
illiams,
Bobby B
edford, Bryan W
ilson, Am
y Yoes, Iris Priest and the staff and supporters of M
ildred’s Lane, PA; also to D
r. Simon M
orris and Nick Thurston of IN
FOR
-M
ATION
AS M
ATERIA
L for all their encouragement and support. Finally,
thanks to Dr. A
ndrew R
amsey and R
achel Lowthian of the U
niversity of Cum
-bria.
Biographies
A native of Southern C
alifornia, Marissa Lee Benedict is currently based in
Chicago, IL. She is a sculptor, researcher, w
riter with a practice deeply rooted in
research and experimentation. She received a B
FA from
the Rhode Island School
of Design (R
ISD) in 2007 and an M
FA in Sculpture from
the School of the Art
Institute of Chicago (SA
IC), w
here she currently teaches in the Sculpture Depart-
ment.
Heather D
onahue was born in B
altimore, M
D. She received her B
FA from
M
aryland Institute College of A
rt, where she studied painting, perform
ance and queer theory. H
er research focuses on comm
unication and the power of social in-
teractions. Donahue is currently an M
FA candidate in Portland State U
niversity’s A
rt and Social Practice Program.
Betsy Huete is an installation artist and uncreative w
riter living and working in
Houston, TX
. She received her BFA
in Sculpture from R
ice University in H
ou-ston in 2006 and is currently undertaking an M
FA in Sculpture from
the Univer-
sity of Houston. H
uete mines the archive, the library, books and other repositories
of knowledge, she builds fractured prose poem
s using found language.
Christina Joseph w
as born in Los Angeles, C
A. R
e-locating to Baltim
ore, she undertook a B
FA in Interdisciplinary Sculpture from
the Maryland Institute
College of A
rt. Her w
ork has grown to include conceptually based sculpture,
installation and performance, dealing w
ith issues of mem
ory, history, identity and the environm
ent in which they coexist.
Born in Iow
a City, IA
, Luke Knox’s w
ork focuses on the relationship between
society and nature by examining parallel and reoccurring m
otifs in mythology,
ritual and cultural iconography. He graduated in 2012 w
ith a BFA
in Draw
ing from
the University of A
rkansas’ Fulbright College of the A
rts and Sciences. He
lives and works in Fayetteville, A
r.
Liz Morrison w
as born at Ann A
rbor, Michigan. R
eceiving her bachelors from
Oberlin C
ollege in 2004, the Classics w
ere of special interest and came to inform
her practice. She lived and w
orked in Fairchild Cooperative from
2005-2008 and as an intern at Firelands A
ssociation for the Visual A
rts in Oberlin, O
H. Liz is
currently an MFA
candidate in the New
Projects program at C
olumbus C
ollege of A
rt and Design.
Alison Pebw
orth has been making a series of interactive nom
adic projects created in the spirit of the 19th century A
merican travelling show. In 2006, she
developed Looking for Lost America, a research project linked to roadside show
and tell activities. This w
ork led to Beautiful Possibility, her travelling exhibition and research project currently touring the northern U
nited States and southern C
anada.
Corey R
iddell received his MFA
in Visual A
rts from C
olumbia U
niversity in 2012. H
e is a photographer challenging his medium
to fail - working w
ith photo-chem
ically and photo-mechanically based processes, his ongoing body of w
ork centres around shadow
y images of caves, cliffs and sea, places w
hich continue to inspire aw
e and a sense of the sublime.
Text ©R
obert William
s and Hilm
ar Schäfer 2013Photographs by C
orey Riddell and N
atalie Wilkin
Graphic design by N
atalie Wilkin
ISBN 978-1-907468-19-3
Ref
eren
ces
Pete
r Ack
royd
. 201
0. T
he E
nglis
h G
host
. Cha
tto &
Win
dus.
Kin
gsle
y A
mis
. 196
9. T
he G
reen
Man
. Jon
atha
n C
ape.
John
Aub
rey.
169
6. M
isce
llani
es –
rep
rinte
d in
John
Buc
hana
n-B
row
n (e
d). 1
972.
Joh
n Au
brey
: Thr
ee P
rose
Wor
ks. C
enta
ur.
Den
nis B
arde
ns. 1
965.
Gho
sts &
Hau
ntin
gs. Z
eus.
Deb
orah
Blu
m. 2
007.
Gho
st H
unte
rs: T
he V
icto
rian
s and
the
hunt
for p
roof
of l
ife a
fter
deat
h. A
rrow
.J.H
Bro
wn.
186
4. S
pect
ropi
a. G
riffin
& F
arra
n. L
ondo
n. 1
993
Pryo
r rep
rint.
Alis
sa B
urge
r. 20
10. C
h.12
:162
-174
. Gho
st H
unte
rs: S
imul
ated
par
ticip
atio
n in
tele
visu
al
haun
tings
. In
Mar
ía d
el P
inar
Bla
nco
and
Esth
er P
eere
n (e
ds).
Popu
lar G
host
s: T
he
haun
ted
spac
es o
f eve
ryda
y cu
lture
. Con
tinuu
m.
Ric
hard
Cav
endi
sh (e
d). 1
970-
71. M
an, M
yth
and
Mag
ic. P
urne
ll.R
oger
Cla
rke.
201
2. A
Nat
ural
His
tory
of G
host
s. Pa
rticu
lar B
ooks
.C
rista
Clo
utie
r. 20
04. M
umle
r’s G
host
s. pp
. 20-
28 in
C. C
héro
ux e
t al.
(eds
). Th
e Pe
rfec
t M
ediu
m: P
hoto
grap
hy a
nd th
e O
ccul
t. Ya
le U
nive
rsity
Pre
ss.
Cat
herin
e C
row
e. 1
848.
The
Nig
ht S
ide
of N
atur
e: o
r Gho
sts a
nd G
host
-see
rs. N
ewby
.O
wen
Dav
ies.
2007
. The
Hau
nted
: A S
ocia
l His
tory
of G
host
s. Pa
lgra
ve/M
acM
illan
.R
.C. F
inuc
ane.
198
2. A
ppea
ranc
es o
f the
Dea
d: A
cul
tura
l his
tory
of g
host
s. Ju
nctio
n B
ooks
.M
iche
l Fou
caul
t. (1
970)
200
2. T
he O
rder
of T
hing
s. R
outle
dge.
Mar
ia F
usco
(ed)
. 201
0. W
ho is
this
Who
is C
omin
g? In
scri
ptio
n as
met
hod
in
cont
empo
rary
art
wri
ting.
Vol
. 2. A
rt-W
ritin
g-R
esea
rch.
Koe
nig
Boo
ks.
Oliv
er G
olds
mith
. 176
2. T
he M
yste
ry R
evea
led;
con
tain
ing
a se
ries
of t
rans
actio
ns a
nd
auth
entic
test
imon
ials
, res
pect
ing
the
supp
osed
Coc
k-La
ne g
host
: whi
ch h
ave
hith
erto
be
en c
once
aled
from
the
publ
ic. B
risto
w. E
CC
O O
n-lin
e Pr
int E
ditio
ns.
John
Har
vey.
200
7:49
. Pho
togr
aphy
and
Spi
rit.
Rea
ktio
n.B
rian
Ingl
is. 1
977.
Nat
ural
and
Sup
erna
tura
l. H
odde
r and
Sto
ught
on.
Lew
es L
avat
ar. 1
572.
Of G
host
s and
Spi
rite
s Wal
king
by
Nig
ht. R
eprin
t of t
he 1
929
editi
on J.
Dov
er W
ilson
and
May
Yar
dley
(eds
). Pr
inte
d fo
r the
Sha
kesp
eare
Ass
ocia
tion,
O
xfor
d U
nive
rsity
Pre
ss. K
essi
nger
Rep
rint.
Eric
Map
le. 1
977.
Sup
erna
tura
l Eng
land
. Rob
ert H
ale.
Sidg
wic
k, E
lean
or; J
ohns
on, A
lice;
et a
l. 18
94. R
epor
t on
the
Cen
sus o
f Hal
luci
natio
ns.
Lond
on: P
roce
edin
gs o
f the
Soc
iety
for P
sych
ical
Res
earc
h, V
ol. X
.Fr
ank
Smyt
h. 1
971.
Fro
ntie
rs o
f Bel
ief i
n C
aven
dish
(ed)
Man
, Myt
h an
d M
agic
. No.
105
. Ir
ene
Shub
ik. 1
976.
The
Min
d Be
yond
: Sto
ries
from
Iren
e Sh
ubik
’s BB
C T
elev
isio
n se
ries
. Pe
ngui
n.G
. Tyr
ell.
1943
:49.
App
ariti
ons.
Duc
kwor
th.
Pete
r Und
erw
ood.
197
8. G
host
s of N
orth
-wes
t Eng
land
. Fon
tana
.Li
onel
A. W
eath
erly
and
J.N
. Mas
kely
ne. 1
891.
The
Sup
erna
tura
l? A
rrow
smith
. 201
2 K
essi
nger
Leg
acy
Rep
rint.
Col
in W
ilson
. 197
1. T
he O
ccul
t. H
odde
r & S
toug
hton
.
Tele
visio
n:
Beas
ts: N
igel
Kne
ale.
Bab
y. D
ir. Jo
hn N
elso
n. 1
976.
(DV
D 2
006)
Net
wor
k/G
rana
da
Vent
ures
.G
host
Sto
ries
for C
hris
tmas
: The
Defi
nitiv
e C
olle
ctio
n. 2
012.
Brit
ish
Film
Inst
itute
. In
the
Min
d’s E
ye. H
oste
d by
Col
in W
ilson
. Lea
p in
the
Dar
k. S
erie
s 3. N
o.6.
Feb
ruar
y 19
77.
The
Ston
e Ta
pe. D
ir. P
eter
Sas
dy. 1
972.
(DV
D 2
001)
. Brit
ish
Film
Inst
itute
.
Web
sites
:
Mar
cel D
ucha
mp.
195
7. T
he C
reat
ive A
ct. A
udio
file
ava
ilabl
e fr
om w
ww.
ubu.
com
/pa
pers
/duc
ham
p_cr
eativ
e.ht
ml A
cces
sed
3.6.
12.
http
://w
ebsp
ace.
web
ring.
com
/peo
ple/
th/h
aunt
edtv
/inde
x.ht
m A
cces
sed
22.1
.13
list i
s im
porta
nt to
o in
set
ting
the
tem
plat
es fo
r con
tem
pora
ry id
eas
of g
host
s an
d gh
ostly
ex
perie
nces
, rel
ated
as
it is
to
the
supe
rnat
ural
ised
lan
dsca
pe o
f R
enai
ssan
ce a
nd p
ost-
Ref
orm
atio
n th
ough
t whi
ch fi
nds i
ts e
xpre
ssio
n in
the
popu
lar i
mag
inat
ion:
“Of g
host
s and
spiri
tes w
alki
ng b
y ny
ght,
and
of st
rang
e no
yses
, cra
ckes
, and
sund
ry
fore
war
ning
s, w
hich
com
mon
ly h
appe
n be
fore
the
deat
h of
men
ne, g
reat
slau
ghte
rs, &
alte
ratio
ns o
f ky
ngdo
mes
.”
In m
uch
of th
e lit
erat
ure
post
-mor
tem
gho
sts
appe
ar fo
r som
e pu
rpos
e, fo
r ven
gean
ce o
r re
solv
ing
earth
ly i
ssue
s un
finis
hed
at d
eath
, as
harb
inge
rs t
hem
selv
es o
r as
mes
seng
ers
with
goo
d ad
vice
for t
he li
ving
. Per
haps
the
first
maj
or m
oder
n ha
untin
g to
be
desc
ribed
, in
vest
igat
ed a
nd d
ebun
ked
was
the
Coc
k La
ne G
host
of 1
762.
Oth
er c
eleb
rate
d fr
audu
lent
gh
osts
mig
ht a
lso
incl
ude
the
Ham
mer
smith
Gho
st o
f th
e m
id-n
inet
eent
h ce
ntur
y, w
here
w
e ca
n al
read
y se
e al
l the
acc
umul
ated
app
urte
nanc
es a
nd a
ppea
ranc
e of
the
goth
ic g
host
–
the
win
ding
she
et,
glid
ing
mov
emen
t, th
e da
rk s
torm
y ni
ght,
gibb
ous
moo
n, w
hite
co
unte
nanc
e. In
deed
, all
the
usua
l ing
redi
ents
whi
ch d
escr
ibe
the
mod
ern
ghos
t and
whi
ch
appe
ar in
Cat
herin
e C
row
e’s T
he N
ight
Sid
e of
Nat
ure11
(184
8).
Follo
win
g th
e em
erge
nce o
f Spi
ritua
lism
in th
e USA
and
Euro
pe (I
nglis
197
7:20
4; F
inuc
ane
1982
:178
), th
ere
was
a ri
se in
pop
ular
ity o
f par
lour
gam
es li
ke ta
ble-
tippi
ng (W
eath
erly
&
Mas
kyle
ne 1
891:
182;
Blu
m 2
007:
20),
whi
ch g
aine
d m
omen
tum
thro
ugho
ut th
e ni
nete
enth
ce
ntur
y in
priv
ate
hom
es a
nd g
athe
rings
acr
oss t
he d
evel
oped
wor
ld. O
f cou
rse
Gho
sts fi
nd
thei
r way
into
mor
e fo
rmal
ised
ent
erta
inm
ents
, not
leas
t of w
hich
are
the
sort
of th
eatri
cal
pres
enta
tions
of t
he p
erio
d su
ch a
s Dr.
Pepp
er’s
Gho
st a
nd o
ther
stag
e m
agic
and
illu
sion
s. B
row
n’s S
pect
ropi
a of
186
4 w
as a
n ex
traor
dina
rily
popu
lar p
ublic
atio
n cr
eate
d as
a m
eans
to
scie
ntifi
cally
deb
unk
ghos
t-see
ing
and
supe
rstit
ion.
The
pam
phle
t use
d co
lour
theo
ry an
d op
tics t
o cr
eate
vis
ions
of p
hant
oms t
o or
der.
In a
dditi
on t
o th
e co
nsid
erat
ion
of t
he i
mag
e of
the
gho
st f
rom
his
toric
al, l
itera
ry a
nd
anec
dota
l so
urce
s, th
ere
is a
lso
the
impa
ct o
f te
chno
logi
cal
influ
ence
s on
the
sub
ject
. W
ith th
e ad
vent
of s
pirit
pho
togr
aphy
in A
mer
ica,
fam
ousl
y ex
ploi
ted
by W
illia
m M
umle
r (C
lout
ier 2
004)
in B
osto
n in
the
1860
s, th
e ic
onog
raph
y se
en w
as re
info
rced
and
add
ed to
. C
lear
ly th
e pr
oduc
tion
and
rece
ptio
n of
thes
e im
ages
has
a g
reat
dea
l to
do w
ith lo
ss a
nd
mou
rnin
g. It
is n
o su
rpris
e th
at th
ose
bere
aved
by
the
carn
age
of th
e A
mer
ican
Civ
il W
ar,
early
dea
ths
beca
use
of d
isea
se a
nd th
e hi
gh in
fant
mor
talit
y ra
tes
of th
e pe
riod,
wou
ld
leap
at t
he o
ppor
tuni
ty to
reta
in so
me
vest
ige
of th
eir l
oved
and
lost
one
s. N
ot su
rpris
ingl
y M
umle
r m
ade
a fo
rtune
with
his
ver
y cl
early
fak
ed im
ages
, onl
y to
lose
it a
ll in
cos
tly
and
dam
agin
g lit
igat
ion
that
exp
osed
the
frau
d (C
lout
ier 2
004:
22).
How
ever
, the
se im
ages
cl
early
brin
g to
geth
er t
he a
bidi
ng a
nd p
erva
sive
ide
as s
urro
undi
ng t
he a
ppea
ranc
e an
d di
spos
ition
of g
host
s tha
t had
bee
n bu
ildin
g at
leas
t sin
ce th
e ea
rly m
oder
n pe
riod
(Har
vey
2007
:49)
.
The
Fello
ws
had
an o
ppor
tuni
ty d
urin
g th
is s
essi
on t
o ut
ilise
vin
tage
pho
togr
aphi
c eq
uipm
ent p
rese
nt at
Mild
red’
s Lan
e, in
ord
er to
mak
e aut
hent
ic ti
n-ty
pe p
hoto
grap
hs u
sing
th
e sa
me
tech
niqu
es a
vaila
ble
to M
umle
r for
the
man
ufac
ture
of h
is sp
irit-p
hoto
grap
hs. W
e w
ere
luck
y to
hav
e th
e te
chni
cal e
xper
tise
in p
hoto
grap
hy p
rovi
ded
by C
orey
Rid
dell
and
the d
esig
n sk
ills o
f Nat
alie
Wilk
in, w
ho h
elpe
d to
stag
e-m
anag
e and
com
pose
thes
e im
ages
. Fu
rther
, the
pho
togr
aphi
c pr
ojec
t gav
e us
the
oppo
rtuni
ty to
ena
ct a
nd e
mbo
dy so
me
of th
e tro
pes t
hat w
e ha
d en
coun
tere
d in
vis
ualis
ing
ghos
ts d
raw
n fr
om th
e m
ater
ial t
hat i
nfor
med
th
e se
min
ar se
ssio
ns a
nd sc
reen
ings
.
In th
inki
ng a
bout
gho
sts i
n th
e co
ntex
t of a
rt (n
ot si
mpl
y as
subj
ect b
ut a
lso
we
are
min
ded
to c
onsi
der c
onte
mpo
rary
pra
ctic
e its
elf)
we
are
rem
inde
d of
the
fam
ous s
peec
h by
Mar
cel
Duc
ham
p in
195
7 on
The
Cre
ativ
e Ac
t. H
ere,
con
trove
rsia
lly a
t th
e tim
e, D
ucha
mp
cons
ider
s tha
t the
Arti
st (t
he m
odel
cle
arly
bei
ng h
imse
lf) b
ehav
es ra
ther
in th
e m
anne
r of
a sp
iritu
alis
t med
ium
, in
that
he
is la
rgel
y un
cons
ciou
s of
his
act
ions
whi
lst i
n th
e ac
t of
mak
ing
art.
He
is m
erel
y a
chan
nel t
hrou
gh w
hich
art
beco
mes
, som
ewhe
re in
bet
wee
n an
in
tent
ion
and
a re
alis
atio
n. W
hat c
ompl
etes
the
wor
k if
we
acce
pt th
e dy
nam
ic, i
s th
e ro
le
and
enga
gem
ent t
hat t
he v
iew
er b
rings
to w
hat m
ay b
e co
nsid
ered
a re
latio
nal e
xcha
nge,
w
here
a d
isco
urse
can
be
ente
red
into
. Und
er th
ese
circ
umst
ance
s the
wor
k is
not
a p
uzzl
e to
be
solv
ed a
nd it
doe
sn’t
nece
ssar
ily h
ave
a m
essa
ge, o
r a s
peci
fic m
eani
ng. R
athe
r it i
s a
trans
actio
nal v
ehic
le th
at w
hils
t it h
as a
con
text
, als
o ac
cum
ulat
es ‘l
ayer
s of
dis
cour
se’
thro
ugh
repe
ated
inte
rpre
tatio
n an
d re
-inte
rpre
tatio
n fr
om d
iffer
ent p
ersp
ectiv
es. N
ot u
nlik
e co
nven
tiona
l hau
ntin
gs in
gho
st st
orie
s and
not
unl
ike
the
dyna
mic
at w
ork
in e
stab
lishi
ng
our T
axon
omy.
The
cha
lleng
e fo
r thi
s gr
oup
of M
ildre
d’s
Lane
Fel
low
s w
as to
enc
ount
er
and
to b
egin
an
iden
tifica
tion
of t
he m
any
trope
s su
rrou
ndin
g gh
osts
as
they
app
eare
d w
ithin
our
sour
ces a
nd to
dra
w th
e th
read
s tog
ethe
r fro
m th
e m
ater
ial i
n an
atte
mpt
to b
oth
unde
rsta
nd a
nd to
inte
rpre
t the
ir m
eani
ng. T
here
is a
lread
y a
huge
and
bur
geon
ing
body
of
liter
atur
e de
alin
g w
ith s
uch
aspe
cts
of g
host
s as
cul
tura
l ent
ities
, but
man
y ar
e fo
cuse
d on
so
ciol
ogic
al a
nd a
nthr
opol
ogic
al a
naly
ses.
Hith
erto
we
have
yet
to s
ee a
sim
ilar
brea
dth
in t
he c
ritic
al a
ppro
ache
s12 t
o th
e su
bjec
t be
yond
dis
cuss
ions
of
icon
ogra
phy.
Per
haps
th
is m
odes
t wor
k, th
e re
sult
of a
ser
ies
of d
iscu
ssio
ns, d
ebat
es, t
he s
harin
g of
idea
s an
d sp
ecul
atio
ns, m
akes
a sm
all c
ontri
butio
n to
that
dis
cour
se.
Rob
ert W
illia
ms a
nd H
ilmar
Sch
äfer
Ju
ne 2
013
11
For
exa
mpl
e, V
ol.1
has
cha
pter
hea
ding
s tha
t ide
ntify
the
hist
ory
and
the
diffe
rent
sp
ecie
s of u
ncan
ny e
xper
ienc
e: O
racl
es; a
ltere
d st
ates
; dre
ams;
war
ning
s; tr
ance
; wra
iths;
do
ppel
gäng
ers;
app
ariti
ons;
pre
sent
imen
ts. T
he li
st is
itse
lf an
ech
o o
f the
con
tent
s and
de
scrip
tions
of s
uper
natu
ral c
ateg
orie
s in
Aub
rey’
s 169
6 M
isce
llani
es. R
eprin
ted
in Jo
hn
Buc
hana
n-B
row
n (e
d). 1
972.
Joh
n Au
brey
: Thr
ee P
rose
Wor
ks. C
enta
ur.
12
Alth
ough
we
are
min
ded
to re
cogn
ise
the
sign
ifica
nce
and
influ
ence
of M
aria
Fu
sco’
s 201
0 an
thol
ogy
Who
is th
is W
ho is
Com
ing:
Insc
ript
ion
as m
etho
d in
co
ntem
pora
ry a
rt w
ritin
g as
a si
gnal
exa
mpl
e of
insi
ghtfu
l, cr
itica
l eng
agem
ent w
ith
both
the
subj
ect o
f Gho
sts a
nd A
rt w
ithin
a c
onte
xt o
f the
exa
min
atio
n of
mea
ning
and
in
terp
reta
tion
beyo
nd c
onve
ntio
nal f
orm
s of r
esea
rch
and
prac
tice.
The
task
for t
he M
ildre
d’s
Lane
Fel
low
s w
as to
look
at t
he tr
opes
, im
ager
y an
d na
rrat
ive
stru
ctur
es th
at s
hape
pop
ular
acc
ount
s of
gho
sts
in d
iver
se m
edia
. In
tryin
g to
mak
e se
nse
of th
e m
ater
ial a
nd to
gra
sp th
e re
latio
ns b
etw
een
diffe
rent
cul
tura
l for
mat
s, so
me
kind
of
orde
r ne
eded
to b
e es
tabl
ishe
d. A
taxo
nom
ic s
chem
a is
a w
ay o
f w
orld
mak
ing
whi
ch is
pr
edom
inan
tly p
ract
ised
in th
e na
tura
l sci
ence
s. It
requ
ires
an a
naly
tical
sta
nce
and
a hi
gh
degr
ee o
f abs
tract
ion.
Not
onl
y is
it a
use
ful t
ool i
n pu
tting
the
mat
eria
l int
o pe
rspe
ctiv
e, it
al
so cr
eate
s a v
isua
l and
ver
y co
mpe
lling
syst
em o
f rel
atio
nal n
etw
orks
. In
the e
xper
imen
tal
proc
ess
of d
evel
opin
g th
e Ta
xono
my,
we
not o
nly
had
the
oppo
rtuni
ty to
lear
n ab
out t
he
ingr
edie
nts
and
patte
rns
that
mak
e up
gho
st s
torie
s, bu
t we
wer
e al
so a
ble
to q
uest
ion
the
way
s kn
owle
dge
is o
rder
ed. I
n a
serie
s of
dis
cuss
ions
led
by H
ilmar
Sch
äfer
, Fou
caul
t’s
repo
rting
of B
orge
s’ C
hine
se E
ncyc
lopa
edia
in T
he O
rder
of T
hing
s (19
70) w
as a
foca
l poi
nt
to lo
ok a
t the
con
tinge
ncie
s of c
ateg
oriz
atio
n an
d to
ask
how
they
shap
e ou
r per
spec
tive
on
the
wor
ld. D
raw
ing
on th
e na
tura
l and
eve
n th
e so
cial
sci
ence
s w
hils
t mim
icki
ng th
em a
t th
e sa
me
time,
the
Taxo
nom
y re
mai
ns a
fanc
iful e
xerc
ise
that
righ
tly b
elon
gs to
the
real
m
of a
rt. In
man
y w
ays,
the
oppo
rtuni
ty w
ithin
the
dyna
mic
of t
he s
emin
ar d
iscu
ssio
ns w
as
anal
ogou
s with
the
telli
ng o
f gho
st st
orie
s the
mse
lves
.
It se
ems t
hat a
con
side
ratio
n of
the
narr
ativ
e st
ruct
ures
, pat
tern
s of b
ehav
iour
and
imag
ery
of g
host
ly t
rope
s of
fers
the
opp
ortu
nity
for
a p
artic
ular
ins
ight
int
o a
cons
tella
tion
of
cultu
ral m
ores
, bel
iefs
, exp
ecta
tions
, mod
es o
f thi
nkin
g an
d im
agin
ing.
Thi
s als
o pr
ovid
es
for t
he m
anife
stat
ion
of p
artic
ular
form
s of
soc
ial e
ngag
emen
t, w
hich
whi
lst s
uppo
sing
a
spiri
tual
or s
uper
natu
ral d
imen
sion
, may
spea
k ra
ther
mor
e of
idea
s con
cern
ing
the
limin
al,
mem
ory,
her
itage
, his
tory
and
con
tinui
ty. T
his i
s exp
ress
ed in
a ra
nge
of c
ultu
ral c
onte
xts:
re
ligio
usly
, soc
ially
, with
in a
sha
red
disc
ours
e; w
ithin
the
pop
ular
im
agin
atio
n, c
inem
a an
d te
levi
sion
(W
e ha
ve i
n m
ind,
for
exa
mpl
e, L
ivin
g TV
’s o
xym
oron
ic g
host
hun
ting
serie
s M
ost
Hau
nted
9 ) an
d w
ithin
bod
ies
of l
itera
ture
tha
t en
com
pass
iss
ues
of e
thic
s, ph
iloso
phy,
his
tory
, arc
haeo
logy
, sci
entifi
c en
quiry
, and
so
on. I
n m
any
way
s gh
osts
and
th
eir
narr
ativ
es m
edia
te b
etw
een
the
soci
al, t
he c
ultu
ral a
nd th
e pe
rson
al. T
here
is o
ften
a ra
nge
of c
onfli
ctin
g re
spon
ses
to e
ncou
nter
s w
ith g
host
s –
fear
and
dre
ad, a
mus
emen
t, in
trigu
e, la
ught
er a
nd th
e ab
surd
. The
opp
ortu
nity
for j
okes
is e
norm
ous –
we
are
rem
inde
d of
the
very
cel
ebra
ted
1762
Lon
don
haun
ting
‘Scr
atch
ing
Fann
y of
Coc
k La
ne’,
in te
rms o
f En
glis
h ba
wdy
hum
our t
his i
s a g
ift (G
olds
mith
. 176
2). I
ndee
d, in
stru
ctur
e th
e gh
ost s
tory
an
d th
e jo
ke m
ay b
e sa
id to
follo
w a
com
mon
traj
ecto
ry a
s par
t of a
n or
al fo
rm. T
hey
each
ha
ve a
bui
ld u
p, a
repe
ated
nar
rativ
e st
ruct
ure
and
of c
ours
e th
e pu
nch
line,
for e
xam
ple
‘… a
nd th
ere
was
nob
ody
ther
e…!’
Like
joke
s, gh
ost s
torie
s tak
e on
a li
fe o
f the
ir ow
n an
d ca
n tra
vel f
rom
loca
tion
to lo
catio
n, w
hils
t stil
l ret
aini
ng th
e fu
ndam
enta
l pat
tern
of
the
stor
y. In
deed
, if o
ne th
inks
of t
he o
ften
repo
rted
1971
cas
e of
The
Pha
ntom
Vic
ar o
f Rat
cliff
W
harf
whe
n a
haun
ting
was
del
iber
atel
y an
d m
etho
dica
lly m
anuf
actu
red,
we
can
see
how
su
ch n
arra
tives
are
pas
sed
on, e
mbr
oide
red
and
built
upo
n as
muc
h as
any
oth
er c
ultu
ral
disc
ours
e. T
he s
tory
was
pla
nted
by
Fran
k Sm
yth,
the
edi
tor
of t
he F
ront
iers
of
Belie
f se
ctio
n of
the
sem
inal
per
iodi
cal M
an, M
yth
and
Mag
ic (N
o. 1
05. 1
971)
as
an e
xper
imen
t (o
r hoa
x, fo
r tha
t mat
ter)
to s
ee w
heth
er it
cou
ld in
sert
itsel
f int
o th
e fo
lklo
re o
f the
are
a.
App
aren
tly it
did
unt
il Sm
yth
reve
aled
the
hoax
in T
he S
unda
y Ti
mes
in 1
97110
.
It m
ay b
e in
tere
stin
g to
sign
post
the
imag
e of
the
ghos
t em
ergi
ng fr
om su
ch c
onte
xts w
ithin
W
este
rn c
ultu
re –
alth
ough
in n
o w
ay is
this
an
atte
mpt
to o
ffer a
‘his
tory
’ of t
he s
ubje
ct
– th
at h
as b
een
deal
t with
adm
irabl
y of
late
by
Cla
rke
(201
2), A
ckro
yd (2
010)
and
Dav
ies
(200
7) fo
r exa
mpl
e; F
inuc
ane
(198
2), I
nglis
(197
7) a
nd M
aple
(197
7) b
efor
e th
em. W
ith
the
idea
of T
he G
host
as a
con
cept
that
exi
sts a
s an
in-b
etw
een
or li
min
al c
ateg
ory
it se
ems
that
we
are
pres
ente
d w
ith a
n op
portu
nity
to e
xplo
re it
s im
age
and
beha
viou
r si
gnifi
cant
in
the
popu
lar
imag
inat
ion
sinc
e at
leas
t the
mid
dle
ages
and
pro
babl
y be
fore
then
. The
fr
ontis
piec
e to
the
Engl
ish
trans
latio
n of
the
first
ded
icat
ed a
ntho
logy
of g
host
sto
ries
by
Lew
es L
avat
ar in
Eur
ope
datin
g fr
om 1
572,
list
ing
as it
doe
s the
rang
e of
phe
nom
enon
that
m
ight
be
thou
ght o
f as g
host
ly. D
espi
te th
e cl
ear r
elig
io-p
oliti
cal e
mph
asis
of t
he te
xt, t
his
9 F
or a
n ex
celle
nt d
iscu
ssio
n of
the A
mer
ican
equ
ival
ents
see A
lissa
Bur
ger.
2010
. C
h.12
:162
-174
. Gho
st H
unte
rs: S
imul
ated
par
ticip
atio
n in
tele
visu
al h
aunt
ings
. In
Mar
ía d
el P
inar
Bla
nco
and
Esth
er P
eere
n (e
ds).
Popu
lar G
host
s: T
he h
aunt
ed sp
aces
of
ever
yday
cul
ture
. Con
tinuu
m.
10
Sub
sequ
ently
the
even
t bec
ame
dram
atiz
ed in
a 1
977
epis
ode
of L
eap
in th
e D
ark,
In
the
Min
d’s E
ye, h
oste
d by
Col
in W
ilson
- Le
ap in
the
Dar
k. S
erie
s 3. N
o.6.
Feb
ruar
y 19
77.
Dis
Man
ibus
: A T
axon
omy
of G
host
s fro
m P
opul
ar F
orm
s
This
doc
umen
t em
erge
d as
a co
nseq
uenc
e of a
serie
s of w
orks
hops
, sem
inar
s and
dis
cuss
ions
w
hich
took
pla
ce d
urin
g th
e 20
12 M
ildre
d’s
Lane
ses
sion
for
Opu
s M
agnu
m:
Thea
trum
C
hem
icum
Bri
tann
icum
. For
the s
essi
on th
e the
me o
f Gho
sts a
nd G
host
-see
ing
was
sele
cted
as
a m
eans
to e
xten
d th
e di
scou
rse
surr
ound
ing
soci
al a
nd c
ultu
ral t
rope
s as
soci
ated
with
id
eas o
f the
lim
inal
to b
e fo
und
in su
bjec
ts e
ncom
pass
ing
alch
emy,
the
supe
rnat
ural
and
the
unca
nny.
A ra
nge
of p
opul
ar fo
rms
wer
e se
lect
ed b
y R
ober
t Will
iam
s dr
awn
from
Brit
ish
Tele
visi
on,
film
, an
d lit
erar
y gh
ost
stor
ies
from
the
cel
ebra
ted
Engl
ish
acad
emic
M.R
. Ja
mes
and
pre
sent
ed fo
r the
Fel
low
s of M
ildre
d’s L
ane
to c
onsi
der a
nd to
deb
ate.
Whi
lst t
he s
elec
tion
of th
e so
urce
mat
eria
l was
a p
erso
nal o
ne it
refle
cted
a b
road
sam
ple
of a
par
ticul
arly
Brit
ish
view
of t
he su
bjec
t for
con
side
ratio
n by
a la
rgel
y A
mer
ican
gro
up
of a
rtist
s. Th
is p
rovi
ded
an o
ppor
tuni
ty f
or a
diff
eren
t an
d nu
ance
d se
t of
refl
ectio
ns,
refe
renc
ing
as it
did
a p
artic
ular
ly ri
ch p
erio
d of
sup
erna
tura
l fict
ion
and
popu
lar i
nter
est
in th
e un
cann
y w
ithin
Brit
ish
cultu
re w
hich
foun
d its
apo
gee
in th
e la
te 1
960s
and
197
0s1 .
Dur
ing
this
per
iod,
for
exa
mpl
e, w
e fin
d re
-wor
king
s of
M.R
. Ja
mes
’ gh
ost
stor
ies
by
dire
ctor
Law
renc
e G
ordo
n C
lark
e2 , un
cann
y sc
reen
play
s by
writ
ers s
uch
as N
igel
Kne
ale3 ,
the
BB
C s
erie
s Le
ap i
n th
e D
ark
and
The
Min
d Be
yond
4 , th
e sc
hola
rly m
agaz
ine
Man
, M
yth
and
Mag
ic (C
aven
dish
(ed)
. 197
0-71
) and
wor
k by
writ
ers
such
as
Kin
gsle
y A
mis
5 (1
969)
, Col
in W
ilson
(197
1), D
enni
s Bar
dens
(196
5) a
nd P
eter
Und
erw
ood
(197
8).
All
of
whi
ch a
nd m
uch
mor
e (th
e lis
t is n
eith
er e
xhau
stiv
e or
com
preh
ensi
ve) s
erve
d to
est
ablis
h a
parti
cula
r un
cann
y fla
vour
to th
e de
cade
and
a h
alf
that
was
par
ticul
arly
for
mat
ive
for
Will
iam
s’ in
tere
sts a
nd a
rt pr
actic
e.
The
oppo
rtuni
ty fo
r a d
iscu
rsiv
e an
d co
mpa
rativ
e ex
erci
se th
at a
rose
as
a co
nseq
uenc
e of
th
ese
wor
ksho
ps a
nd s
cree
ning
s, al
low
ed f
or a
nua
nced
per
spec
tive
in e
stab
lishi
ng a
set
of
obs
erva
tions
and
dis
cuss
ions
that
gav
e ris
e to
our
Tax
onom
y. T
he s
trate
gy w
as to
trea
t cu
ltura
l gho
sts r
athe
r in
the
man
ner t
hat a
nat
ural
ist m
ight
trea
t diff
eren
t spe
cies
of i
nsec
t. Th
is w
as t
o m
ake
obse
rvat
ions
bas
ed o
n fo
r ex
ampl
e, a
ppea
ranc
e, b
ehav
iour
, ha
bita
t, lif
e-cy
cle,
con
text
and
so
on. T
his
stra
tegy
is n
ot u
niqu
e w
ith re
fere
nce
to th
e su
bjec
t, fo
r ex
ampl
e nin
etee
nth-
cent
ury
scie
ntifi
c res
earc
hers
beg
an to
cons
ider
the s
uper
natu
ral f
rom
a po
sitiv
ist s
tand
poin
t as p
heno
men
a w
hich
cou
ld b
e ob
serv
able
, mea
sura
ble
and
repe
atab
le.
Figu
res
such
as
Cro
okes
, th
e Si
dgw
icks
, M
yers
and
Gur
ney
in t
he U
nite
d K
ingd
om
and
Will
iam
Jam
es6 i
n th
e U
SA, a
pplie
d em
piric
al m
odel
s to
thei
r st
udie
s of
gho
sts
and
haun
tings
as t
houg
h th
ey w
ere
phys
ical
phe
nom
ena,
est
ablis
hing
thei
r tax
onom
ic sc
hem
as7
as a
con
sequ
ence
of r
epor
ted
anec
dota
l exp
erie
nce.
In m
any
resp
ects
the
foun
ding
of t
he
Soci
ety
for
Psyc
hica
l R
esea
rch
in L
ondo
n in
188
2 ha
s de
eply
infl
uenc
ed t
he w
ay t
hat
ghos
ts ar
e now
imag
ined
and
inte
rpre
ted
in o
ur so
ciet
y8 . Th
is m
ay b
e why
we e
ncou
nter
the
feat
ures
that
we
do w
ithin
a v
arie
ty o
f cul
tura
l for
ms
and
why
ther
e is
suc
h an
em
phas
is,
in th
e po
pula
r im
agin
atio
n at
leas
t, on
‘pr
ovin
g’ th
e ex
iste
nce
of g
host
ly p
heno
men
a vi
a co
nflic
ting
met
hods
and
stra
tegi
es t
hat
use
tech
nolo
gy, h
isto
ry a
nd a
rcha
eolo
gy o
n on
e ha
nd, a
nd th
roug
h m
ediu
msh
ip, s
éanc
es, a
nd d
ivin
atio
n an
d su
ch ‘
para
norm
al’ p
ract
ices
on
the
othe
r. Th
e ke
y pe
rhap
s is t
o re
cogn
ise
that
we
are
not d
ealin
g w
ith e
xter
nal e
ntiti
es,
rath
er th
at th
e ph
enom
enon
is c
ultu
ral,
open
to in
terp
reta
tion,
and
mor
eove
r, av
aila
ble
for
enga
gem
ent w
ith a
criti
cal a
naly
sis a
nd d
isco
urse
. Mor
e aki
n pe
rhap
s, to
enga
ging
with
and
disc
ussi
ng a
rt.
1 F
or e
xam
ple,
see
http
://w
ebsp
ace.
web
ring.
com
/peo
ple/
th/h
aunt
edtv
/inde
x.ht
m
ac
cess
ed 2
2.1.
13.
2 G
host
Sto
ries
for C
hris
tmas
: The
Defi
nitiv
e C
olle
ctio
n. 2
012.
Brit
ish
Film
Inst
itute
.3
The
Sto
ne T
ape.
197
2. B
east
s. 19
76.
4 S
ee Ir
ene
Shub
ik. 1
976.
The
Min
d Be
yond
: Sto
ries
from
Iren
e Sh
ubik
’s BB
C
Tele
visi
on se
ries
. Pen
guin
.5
Kin
gsle
y A
mis
. 196
9. T
he G
reen
Man
. Jon
atha
n C
ape
– la
ter a
199
6 fil
m a
dapt
atio
n by
Mal
colm
Bra
dbur
y st
arrin
g A
lber
t Fin
ney.
6 It
was
Will
iam
Jam
es’ b
roth
er, H
enry
Jam
es w
ho w
rote
one
of t
he m
ost u
nset
tling
G
host
Sto
ries e
ver,
The
Turn
of t
he S
crew
.7
For
exa
mpl
e, se
e Si
dgw
ick,
Ele
anor
; Joh
nson
, Alic
e; e
t al.
1894
. Rep
ort o
n th
e C
ensu
s of H
allu
cina
tions
. Pro
ceed
ings
of t
he S
ocie
ty fo
r Psy
chic
al R
esea
rch,
Vol
. X.
Lond
on8
For
furth
er e
xam
ples
see
e.g.
G. T
yrel
l 194
3:49
. C. I
I. C
hara
cter
istic
s of A
ppar
ition
s in
App
ariti
ons.
Duc
kwor
th.