As the grand finale of my time as Inaugural Carrollian Fellow of the University of Southern California, I have been thrilled to have been awarded a Visions & Voices grant for “Spectral Science”. In an exhibition, and an especially commissioned authentic Victorian-style Magic Lantern show, we will explore the surprising intersections of science, illusion and the supernatural, through the surprising, shared histories of scientific inquiry and spiritualism as forms of technological spectacle – and how trickery, and manipulations of reality shape our perception, politics and global entertainment culture to this day.
The exhibition will showcase rarely seen items, from historic magic lantern slides, spirit photographs, reflections upon science and the supernatural by celebrities such as Arthur Conan Doyle, to Icons of Magic, such as Houdini, drawn from the collection of Hollywood’s legendary Magic Castle and USC’s Special Collections.
In a collaboration with magic lanternist, and filmmaker Melissa Ferrari, we will transform the iconic Los Angeles Times Reference Room into an immersive, surreal fantasia of hallucinatory imagery inspired by Victorian spiritualism to stage a theatrical performance inspired by the phantasmagoria—a 19th-century visual technique featuring fantastical and dreamlike imagery that shaped early movies, animation, and entertainment culture.
The exhibition opening event and panel discussion and the Phantasmagoria show, are free and open to the public, but booking is essential.
Dr Franziska Kohlt 