Light Destroys Our Conditions
On my asking the reason for the condition of darkness for some of the manifestations, she wrote, ‘Light destroys our conditions’; and, on a request for a few words in French, ‘Je suis un espirit’, with the translation, ‘I am a spirit’.
– Thomas Blyton, reporting on a seance in which Florence Cook materialized the spirit of Katie King, 9 June 1871
Installation mock-up*
LIGHT DESTROYS OUR CONDITIONS is a visual investigation of the spirit known as Katie King. Utilizing re-photographed primary and secondary sources directly relating to Katie King, along with contextual references to psychology, pop culture, Spiritualism, and the occult, a story is told of a complex character and phenomenon that could not be restrained to a linear re-telling. As the central character is by nature amorphous, functioning as an unreliable narrator and thus inspiring a multitude of paths to explore, the installation follows an organic structure designed to be experienced in a non-linear fashion.
While Katie King is most known as the first full-form spirit manifestation to be photographed (particularly through the mediumship of Florence Cook during the 1870s), her history is much more labyrinthine, and appearances much more numerous.
As a photographer exploring themes of the supernatural and the occult, I was first drawn into the story of Katie King in relation to her being photographed between 1873-74, under the supervision of renowned scientist William Crookes. The 16-year-old medium Florence Cook had the ability to manifest Katie’s spirit to full appearance, charming scientists, Spiritualists, and society.
Before long, I recognized that Katie King’s manifestations originated in the United States, with reported origins in Jamaica, and her appearances continued throughout America, Canada, and Europe for over 100 years.
Tales of Katie King focused on her beauty, grace, and charisma. Just below the surface lay a network of tales involving a puckish spirit, body horror, the surreal, and the absurd.
The project consists of images of four types, linked to show a matrix of associations, whether they be direct correspondence, thematic or visual. The result is an open-ended experience leaving the viewer to arrive at their own conclusions.
The four types of images, all photographed with film and printed in the darkroom as silver gelatin prints, are:
* Primary photographs of Katie King, her mediums, and others directly related to her manifestations, re-photographed.
* Primary and secondary texts, re-photographed.
* Supplemental imagery from pop culture, as well as historical images related to science, Spiritualism, and fiction, re-photographed.
* Images of my own creation, following concepts of the “photo seance” used by Katie King investigators William Crookes and the family of T. Glen Hamilton. As with Crookes and the Hamiltons, these include documentary images created using a battery of cameras at the time of the primary image creation. Many of these were exposed using the light of a Crookes Tube – an invention of William Crookes designed to visualize cathode rays.
Combined, these images give context to what might otherwise seem to be truly outlandish tales of spiritual infatuation, melting bodies, teleportation, materializing eels in the middle of England, poltergeist activity, and (according to some theories) sex with ghosts.
While drawing connections, additional questions are raised for the viewer to ponder. For example:
- What elements of Katie’s tales are true, and what are fabrications?
- What connections does Katie have with concepts such as the doppelganger or the Fylgja?
- Why does the concept of a spirit, appearing as a young woman in white, feature prominently in cultures around the world?
- How might Fodor’s dated theories regarding “female hysteria” and poltergeist activity as a psychological phenomenon relate to each other and to Katie King?
- Why are appearances of Succubi / Incubi common around the world, and how do these relate to Katie King?
- Was Tim Burton referencing Katie King during the bridal gown manifestation of Geena Davis’s spirit in Beetlejuice (1988), or is this just another example of the far-reaching nature of these concepts/spirits?
Other concepts explored include fairy lore, concepts of interdimensionality as explored by John A. Keel & Jacques Vallee, the history of spirit photography in general, John Dee, the nature of ectoplasm and its relationship to both spirit manifestation and UFO sightings, abjection, and nudity/sexuality in relation to spiritual encounters.
*Note: the pictured mock-up illustrates a small fraction of the intended images for a full installation. Pale pink ribbon utilized to connect related images, referencing the importance of fabric, lace and material in relation to appearances of Katie King.