Shannon Taggart: Séance

Exploring spiritualist communities, Shannon Taggart: Séance offers a captivating visual journey into the beliefs and practices surrounding communication with the deceased.

In Shannon Taggart: Séance, American photographer Shannon Taggart explores the intriguing world of spiritualist communities in the US and Europe. Her journey began in her youth when a medium provided insights into her grandfather's death, sparking a lifelong fascination with the belief that the deceased can communicate with the living. This obsession led her to Lily Dale, New York, the largest spiritualist community in the world, where she spent 18 years documenting the practices and beliefs of spiritualism in search of the elusive 'ectoplasm.'

The book, which has been recognized as one of Time's best photobooks of 2019, showcases a remarkable array of supernatural photographs that reveal the unique rituals and experiences within these communities. Alongside Taggart's captivating images, readers will find her personal reflections, a foreword by Dan Aykroyd, and illustrated essays by notable contributors such as Andreas Fischer and Tony Oursler. This redesigned edition from Atelier Éditions includes additional archival images and new commentary from writer and filmmaker J.F. Martel.

Shannon Taggart: Séance not only presents a visual journey through the mystical realm of spiritualism but also serves as a thoughtful exploration of the intersections between life and the afterlife. Taggart's work, which has appeared in prestigious publications like Time and the New York Times Magazine, continues to engage audiences with its unique blend of art and inquiry into the unknown.