Digital Event Type: Zoom Lecture

Art of The Solomon Islands – Kevin Conru

Art of The Solomon Islands – Kevin Conru

“A place of tropical sun, aquamarine-blue sea, white-sand palm-fringed beaches and some of the friendliest people you will ever meet in your life – the Solomon Islands are the sort of South Pacific location that many of us dream of, but often know little about.”  Mark Cocker

The sea is the single greatest source of inspiration for the art from the Solomon Islands, which are located northeast of New Guinea. Artistic forms, embellishments, designs, functions, and materials are drawn from a watery canvas that are subtly nuanced, yet richly homogenous. In the art of the Solomons, there is a link between the visual and the practical. Objects are created with an understanding of pure, aquiline forms, and are shaped to give the most graceful outline and poised balance.

This book presents the Conru collection of art from the Solomon Islands, which encompasses a broad assortment of images, weapons, body ornaments and other artifacts. So numerous and diverse are the objects from this island group that it is difficult for a single collection to be totally representative. However, the collection approximates a representative status, comprising masks from Nissan and Buka, a large figure from Bougainville, as well as imagery and other artifacts from the western down through the southeastern islands. The artworks range from the eighteenth to the early twentith centuries.

Bio

Kevin Conru is known for his publications on Southern African art, on the arts of the Pacific Islands and on the photographs of Hugo Bernatzik. He has travelled extensively in the Pacific and is a member of the Pacific Arts Association and the Oceanic Art Society. He has an Arts Policy MA from The City University, London, and is an orchestral double bassist.  He has published online the South Seas diary of a turn-of-the 20th century Australian journalist, and has produced a major book on the art of the Bismarck Archipelago in Melanesia which was released in September, 2013.

This book formed the basis of the Rotterdam Wereld Museum’s Ring of Fire exhibition that took place in 2013-2014.

He has curated an important exhibition of Papua New Guinea masterpieces from the Royal Museum for Central Africa, which was held in Brussels in 2014.
Along with Robert Hales, he published a comprehensive book on the archive of William Oldman. His most recent books/exhibitions include Sepik/Ramun Art in 2019 and Polynesian Art in 2023 He has one of the most important private collections dedicated to the art from the Solomon Islands. He has one of the most important private collections dedicated to the art from the Solomon Islands

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Darkling Shadows & Midsummer Madness: The Weird Fiction of R Murray Gilchrist – Daniel Pietersen

Darkling Shadows & Midsummer Madness: The Weird Fiction of R Murray Gilchrist

At the start of the 20thC Robert Murray Gilchrist was a celebrated if reclusive writer, able to count the likes of HG Wells amongst his friends and one of the rare few who found a home in the pages of the notorious Yellow Book. Yet, after his death in 1917, he was quickly forgotten and the strange vistas of his eerie tales faded rapidly from view. In this talk, Gilchrist scholar Daniel Pietersen will use newly-unearthed details of the writer’s life to explore this change in fortunes and why Gilchrist – a writer who explored the edgelands of Gothic, Decadent and what we would now call Weird fiction – is due a modern-day reader’s renewed attention.

Bio  

Daniel Pietersen is the editor of I Am Stone: the Gothic Weird Tales of R Murray Gilchrist, part of the British Library’s Tales of the Weird series. He is a writer and critic with an interest in how weird and gothic themes are represented across film, literature and videogaming. Daniel’s work has appeared in publications like Dead Reckonings, Revenant and Sublime Horror and he is a regular guest lecturer for the Romancing the Gothic project. Daniel lives in a very old house in Edinburgh with a necromancer and pet hellhound.
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Brothers Zara and Raum: The Real Story of a Fake Buddhist Rosicrucian Order – Philip Deslippe

Brothers Zara and Raum: The Real Story of a Fake Buddhist Rosicrucian Order

In the early 1930s, two young men from Idaho took Buddhist ordination vows in San Francisco from a Japanese Rinzai Zen teacher named Nyogen Senzaki. Soon after, the pair left for an extended tour throughout Asia and were celebrated in the press as pioneering Buddhists, but were actually on their own mission for a mysterious Rosicrucian order with the aim to rectify the world’s religions.

This talk will tell the history of Francis Ormsby, Lewis Colburn, and their group, the Ordo Magiaro. It is a fascinating story of spiritual exploration, international travel, and imposture that included a coup and death by drowning, an affair that led to an international scandal, time in a naval prison, and pioneering treatment for alcoholics.

Speaker Bio:

Philip Deslippe is a PhD candidate in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara who focuses on metaphysical, Asian, and marginal religious traditions in modern America. He has published in numerous academic journals and popular venues, and edited and introduced The Kybalion: The Definitive Edition for Tarcher/Penguin in 2011.

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Sheela-Na-Gigs: Power, Politics and Sexuality – Jenny Butler

Sheela-Na-Gigs: Power, Politics and Sexuality

Sheela-na-gigs are sculpted female forms displaying their, sometimes exaggerated, vulvas. While these carvings are found through much of Europe, there is the highest concentration of them in Ireland and Britain, with many also found in France and Spain. Archaeologically, they are categorised as “grotesques”, similar to gargoyles, found on church architecture and thought to ward off evil influence. While there is no consensus on their origin or age, some scholars place the emergence of such carvings in the 11th century. This talk tracks the history of Sheela-na-gigs in Ireland against the backdrop of Irish history. The women of Ireland were subjugated during an era in which female sexuality itself came to be regarded as vulgar, shameful, and deviant. In contemporary Ireland, there has been a resurgence of interest and cultural (re)connection with the Sheela-na-gig. The symbol has been utilised in political campaigns for women’s empowerment, in art, and in spirituality and examples are given of how today the Sheela is a vibrant, powerful, and celebrated form.

Bio

Dr Jenny Butler is President of the Irish Society for the Academic Study of Religions (ISASR). She is a Lecturer in the Study of Religions Department at University College Cork and a Principal Investigator of UCC’s Environmental Research Institute (ERI). Her research interests are in the area of New Religious Movements, Western esotericism, and folk religion. Her monograph 21st Century Irish Paganism: Worldview, Ritual, Identity is forthcoming from Routledge.

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Lewis Carroll and Surrealism – Mark Richards

Lewis Carroll and Surrealism

Surrealist writers and artists have been fascinated by Lewis Carroll’s works for over a century. Eileen Agar described him as a “herald of surrealism”, while André Breton refers to him as the “first teacher in the art of playing hooky” and references to the Alice books can be seen in dozens of surrealist artworks.Carroll’s influence on the Surrealists is both fascinating and indisputable. But, to what extent can we refer to Carroll himself as a “Surrealist”? A close examination of his life and works, his diaries and letters, reveal a man fascinated by dreams, differing states of consciousness and a desire to explore the absurd.

This talk will demonstrate Carroll’s influence on the Surrealists, explore the remarkable mind of the author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and attempt to understand why this often misunderstood, English mathematician deserves a place in the history of Surrealism.

Bio

Mark Richards has been studying the life and works of Lewis Carroll for nearly 50 years. He is a collector, a former Chair of The Lewis Carroll Society and is currently developing the Lewis Carroll Resources website. (lewiscarrollresources.net)

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Alice in Wonderland – Lena Heide-Brennand

Alice in Wonderland

This is a must-attend lecture for all you mad Alice in Wonderland fans out there. The first part of the lecture is a traditional lecture on the story behind Lewis Carroll’s classic and the second half of the lecture is the launch of Lena Heide-Brennand’s new book where she has re-written the whole story into a 112 pages long poem staying very true to the original content, but with a slightly darker twist. The book is also richly illustrated with Heide-Brennand’s own dark and gothic mixed media artwork. This is the description of her version of the classic:

Lena Heide-Brennand’s dark and poetic interpretation of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” is an enchanting and captivating one where Alice’s dreams take a rhythmic and playful form. In this adaptation, Heide-Brennand has seamlessly blended the atmospheric visuals from the 1915 film version with her own unique mixed media artworks. These original artworks transport us into a world of dark and gothic beauty, infused with steampunk Victorian vibes and a subtle touch of horror undertones. The result is a visually stunning experience that sets the mood for a darker and more mysterious atmosphere, capturing the essence of Alice’s strange and twisted dreams.

One of the most fascinating aspects of Heide-Brennand’s version is the poetic narrative style. Alice in Wonderland unfolds as a 112-page long poem, where every line is meticulously crafted with end rhymes. This poetic form not only pays homage to the original story, first published in 1865, but also adds a lyrical touch that enhances the enchantment of Alice’s magical journey. However, be prepared for a departure from the traditional children’s versions of Alice’s adventures. In Heide-Brennand’s adaptation, Alice’s dreams take her through scenes and encounters that are far more eerie and dark. The artist delves deep into the recesses of Alice’s imagination, exploring the hidden depths of her subconscious, and visually bringing forth characters and settings that are both mesmerizing and haunting. As you turn the pages you will encounter twisted versions of familiar characters like the Cheshire Cat, the Queen of Hearts, and the Hatter. These iconic figures, rendered through Heide-Brennand’s unique artistic lens, take on a new life and add layers of complexity to their personalities.

Prepare to be enthralled by the interplay of light and shadow, and the subtle nuances that breathe life into each character. The dark and scenic mixed media artworks that accompany the poetic narrative serve as windows into Alice’s psyche. With each turn of the page, you will be transported to eerie landscapes, mysterious forests, and intricate settings that mirror the intricacies of Alice’s mind. The detailed craftsmanship and the rich colour palette create a visual feast for the eyes, immersing you in a world that is simultaneously beautiful and foreboding.

Bio:

Lena Schattenherz Heide-Brennand is a Norwegian lecturer with a master degree in language, culture and literature from the University of Oslo and Linnaeus University. She has been lecturing and teaching various subjects since 1998. Her field of interest and main focus has always been topics that others have considered strange, eccentric and eerie, and she has specialised in a variety of dark subjects linked to folklore, mythology and Victorian traditions and medicine. Her students often point out her thorough knowledge about the subjects she is teaching, in addition to her charismatic appearance. She refers to herself as a performance lecturer and always gives her audience an outstanding experience

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“You Are to Do What We Say”: The Adventures of Arthur Conan Doyle and his Spirit Guide Pheneas – Michael W Homer

“You Are to Do What We Say”: The Adventures of Arthur Conan Doyle and his Spirit Guide Pheneas

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle encountered a spirit named Pheneas through the mediumship of his wife from 1922-1930. Doyle published approximately one-third of these revelations in Pheneas Speaks (1927) and contemplated supplementing them with another book after Pheneas’ prophecies led to the establishment of a worldwide Spiritualist church. But when Doyle died in 1930, several letters were published in which he wondered if spirits from the other side had misled him. Michael W. Homer’s presentation will use previously unpublished materials to explore the séances in which Pheneas appeared to Doyle’s home circle.

Bio

Michael W. Homer is a trial lawyer in Salt Lake City, a Fellow of the Utah State Historical Society, Chair of the J. Willard Marriott Library Advisory Board, University of Utah, and member of Board of Advisors, Office of Undergraduate Advancement, University of Utah. He is the Honorary Italian Consul in Utah and has been recognized by the President of the Republic as a Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella D’Italia (Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy). He has written numerous articles concerning Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes published by BSI Press, The Illustrious Clients of Indianapolis, The Arthur H. Clark Company, Elledici, SugarCo, Effidieffe, Presses Universitaires de Lyon, Rupert Books, Encyclopedia of Occultism & Parapsychology, Utah Historical Quarterly, ACD: Journal of the Arthur Conan Doyle Society, Manitoba History, SYZYGY: Journal of Alternative Religion and Culture, Dialogue, A Journal of Mormon Thought, and Theosophical History.

Curated and Hosted by

Shannon Taggart is an artist and author exploring the intersection between Spiritualism, photography, and the representation of belief. Her work has been exhibited and featured internationally, including within the publications TIME, New York Times Magazine, Discover, and Newsweek. Taggart’s monograph, SÉANCE (Fulgur Press, 2019), was named one of TIME’s ‘Best Photobooks of 2019.’ https://www.shannontaggart.com/

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Shannon Taggart’s Supernatural Mystery Symposium

Selections from the annual event on supernatural mystery and strange cultural history, curated by Shannon Taggart and hosted in Lily Dale, NY, USA—the town home to the world’s largest Spiritualist community.

Dr. Raymond Buckland’s ‘Wide World of Spirit – Steven Intermill and Toni Rotonda – 25 September

Séance: Spiritualism, Photography and the Search for Ectoplasm – Shannon Taggart – 2 October

Publishing the Paranormal – Charles and Penelope Emmons – 04 October

Supernatural Mystery Symposium:  Art & The Paranormal – JF Martel – 05 October

Music from Elsewhere – Doug Skinner – 22 October

The Adventures of Arthur Conan Doyle – Michael W Homer – 07 November

Spiritual Spectacles: Mother’s Work and the Shaker Era of Manifestations – Maria Molteni – 18 November

Ted Serios: The Mind’s Eye, with Emily Hauver – 21 November

Supernatural Mystery Symposium: Art and the Paranormal – JF Martel – Zoom

Art & The Paranormal

The term “paranormal” usually conjures images of spectral apparitions, objects moving unbidden, and disembodied voices crackling on transistor radios. In this talk, J. F. Martel will argue that the category should include other things besides, things whose patina of familiarity is all that prevents us from realizing how truly strange they are. The dulcet tones of a Bach chorale, the silent scream of a portrait by Francis Bacon, the imaginal drift of an Emily Dickinson poem; in confronting us with all that is singular and unrepeatable in life and nature, art breaches the walls of modern reductionism. To truly perceive this, one must adopt an alien perspective, challenging tired assumptions and uncovering the metaphysical implications that animate all artistic expression.

Bio

JF. Martel is a writer and documentary filmmaker based in Ottawa, Canada. He is the author of Reclaiming Art in the Age of Artfice and co-hosts the Weird Studies podcast with musicologist Phil Ford.

Curated and Hosted by

Shannon Taggart is an artist and author exploring the intersection between Spiritualism, photography, and the representation of belief. Her work has been exhibited and featured internationally, including within the publications TIME, New York Times Magazine, Discover, and Newsweek. Taggart’s monograph, SÉANCE (Fulgur Press, 2019), was named one of TIME’s ‘Best Photobooks of 2019.’ https://www.shannontaggart.com/

don’t worry if you miss it – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day

Shannon Taggart’s Supernatural Mystery Symposium

Selections from the annual event on supernatural mystery and strange cultural history, curated by Shannon Taggart and hosted in Lily Dale, NY, USA—the town home to the world’s largest Spiritualist community.

Dr. Raymond Buckland’s ‘Wide World of Spirit – Steven Intermill and Toni Rotonda – 25 September

Séance: Spiritualism, Photography and the Search for Ectoplasm – Shannon Taggart – 2 October

Publishing the Paranormal – Charles and Penelope Emmons – 04 October

Supernatural Mystery Symposium:  Art & The Paranormal – JF Martel – 05 October

Music from Elsewhere – Doug Skinner – 22 October

The Adventures of Arthur Conan Doyle – Michael W Homer – 07 November

Spiritual Spectacles: Mother’s Work and the Shaker Era of Manifestations – Maria Molteni – 18 November

Ted Serios: The Mind’s Eye, with Emily Hauver – 21 November

Supernatural Mystery Symposium: Publishing the Paranormal – Charles and Penelope Emmons

Publishing the Paranormal

Why do academic authors sometimes dare to study the so-called “paranormal”, like ghosts, spiritual phenomena and UFOs, in spite of opposition from the scientific establishment? The main reason is that they often have their own experiences, like most people, and they want to understand them. In fact, “the paranormal is normal.” Charles and Penelope Emmons discuss their own adventures in publishing the paranormal in academic and other contexts and those of other researchers as well, with examples of popular treatments and the gradual mainstreaming of these subjects.

Bio

Charles Emmons is an Emeritus Professor retired from the Gettysburg College Sociology Department. His research has been mainly in the areas of the sociology of science, religion, and the paranormal. Publications include Chinese Ghosts Revisited (2017), At the Threshold: UFOs, Science and the New Age (1997), and “Methodologies for the Mysterious” (in A Greater Reality, Vol. 2, ed. Hernandez, 2022). He is a member of the Society for Scientific Exploration.

Penelope Emmons has a Master’s in Social Work and offers counseling. She is an ordained Spiritualist minister, and does spirit mediumship. She has also been a public and Montessori school educator, and an interior and architectural designer. Together with her husband Charles she is author of Guided by Spirit: A Journey into the Mind of the Medium (2003), and Science and Spirit (2012).

Curated and Hosted by

Shannon Taggart is an artist and author exploring the intersection between Spiritualism, photography, and the representation of belief. Her work has been exhibited and featured internationally, including within the publications TIME, New York Times Magazine, Discover, and Newsweek. Taggart’s monograph, SÉANCE (Fulgur Press, 2019), was named one of TIME’s ‘Best Photobooks of 2019.’ https://www.shannontaggart.com/

don’t worry if you miss it – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day

Shannon Taggart’s Supernatural Mystery Symposium

Selections from the annual event on supernatural mystery and strange cultural history, curated by Shannon Taggart and hosted in Lily Dale, NY, USA—the town home to the world’s largest Spiritualist community.

Dr. Raymond Buckland’s ‘Wide World of Spirit – Steven Intermill and Toni Rotonda – 25 September

Séance: Spiritualism, Photography and the Search for Ectoplasm – Shannon Taggart – 2 October

Publishing the Paranormal – Charles and Penelope Emmons – 04 October

Supernatural Mystery Symposium:  Art & The Paranormal – JF Martel – 05 October

Music from Elsewhere – Doug Skinner – 22 October

The Adventures of Arthur Conan Doyle – Michael W Homer – 07 November

Spiritual Spectacles: Mother’s Work and the Shaker Era of Manifestations – Maria Molteni – 18 November

Ted Serios: The Mind’s Eye, with Emily Hauver – 21 November

Supernatural Mystery Symposium: Music from Elsewhere – Doug Skinner – Zoom

Music from Elsewhere

“Music from Elsewhere” presents music attributed to non-human inspiration— tunes from fairies, trolls, trows, angels, spirits, and aliens, as well as music generated by channeling, visions, and dreams. Composer/performer Doug Skinner plays some pieces from this curious repertory, and discusses possible explanations and interpretations of them.

Bio

Doug Skinner has contributed to The Fortean Times, Strange Attractor Journal, Fate, Weirdo, Nickelodeon, Cabinet, and other fine publications. Black Scat Books has published his translations of Alphonse Allais, Alfred Jarry, Luigi Russolo, and Caroline Crépiat, as well as several books of his fiction and cartoons. His latest book is a translation of Charles Cros’s The Science of Love, for Wakefield Press.

He has written several scores for theater and dance, most conspicuously for Bill Irwin’s show The Regard of Flight; his albums That Regrettable Weekend, It All Went Pfft, and An Afternoon in the Arboretum can be savored on Bandcamp.

Curated and Hosted by

Shannon Taggart is an artist and author exploring the intersection between Spiritualism, photography, and the representation of belief. Her work has been exhibited and featured internationally, including within the publications TIME, New York Times Magazine, Discover, and Newsweek. Taggart’s monograph, SÉANCE (Fulgur Press, 2019), was named one of TIME’s ‘Best Photobooks of 2019.’ https://www.shannontaggart.com/

don’t worry if you miss it – we will send you a recording valid for two weeks the next day

Shannon Taggart’s Supernatural Mystery Symposium

Selections from the annual event on supernatural mystery and strange cultural history, curated by Shannon Taggart and hosted in Lily Dale, NY, USA—the town home to the world’s largest Spiritualist community.

Dr. Raymond Buckland’s ‘Wide World of Spirit – Steven Intermill and Toni Rotonda – 25 September

Séance: Spiritualism, Photography and the Search for Ectoplasm – Shannon Taggart – 2 October

Publishing the Paranormal – Charles and Penelope Emmons – 04 October

Supernatural Mystery Symposium:  Art & The Paranormal – JF Martel – 05 October

Music from Elsewhere – Doug Skinner – 22 October

The Adventures of Arthur Conan Doyle – Michael W Homer – 07 November

Spiritual Spectacles: Mother’s Work and the Shaker Era of Manifestations – Maria Molteni – 18 November

Ted Serios: The Mind’s Eye, with Emily Hauver – 21 November