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‘In Séance, photographer Shannon Taggart traces a mysterious thread between art, science, politics, and religion.’
‘The photographs in “Séance” are often most resonant when they slip furthest from photography’s ties to proof. At the heart of the book are Taggart’s portraits of individuals, alone and in community, seeking to make connections to the unseen.’
‘Whether you believe in the paranormal or don’t, Shannon Taggart’s book is fascinating and the photos are haunting!’
‘Beautiful, tender and frequently eerie, as images of wonder and faith, hovering at the threshold of invisible worlds, should be.’
‘Shannon Taggart, a photographer whose passion for documenting Spiritualist rituals began in Lily Dale, has spent nearly two decades capturing the practices by which mediums (and their curious customers) attempt to reach those beyond the veil.’
‘Cutlery, radios and handkerchiefs are among the strange assortment of household items harnessed to bridge the gap between living and dead. By experimenting with chiaroscuro and exposure, Taggart casts these objects in an otherworldly light, haunting the viewer with a sense of the uncanny.’
‘With great tenderness and religious respect, she brings to light human beings, believers or not, captured in attempts at openness and vulnerability.’
‘Taggart wants to illuminate this chapter in the history of photography. Her work fits neatly into a lineage of other attempts to bridge the physical and spiritual worlds: “The crazy photographic history and records of the movement…are bizarre, unsettling, and absurd, but also speak about human love and longing.”’
‘Taggart’s images are heartfelt and strange, and I think it doesn’t matter whether one believes in these spirits or not – her photographs are still enchanting and remarkable. In a way, she becomes a medium herself, transmitting the world of her subjects through her art. ‘
‘Shannon Taggart’s book Séance presents images from within contemporary Spiritualist communities that most of us are totally unaware of, offering an eerie but sometimes very sweet portrait of a religion that is shrouded in darkness.’
‘Taggart’s captivating photos and their captions are each enthralling in their own right, but made all the more powerful thanks to the rich essays and historical information that precede them. This book is a marvel.’
“I would just wander around and literally knock on people’s doors and say, ‘Would you talk to me? Would you teach me about spiritualism?’ ” she recalled. “And they very graciously did.”