Panel Discussion: Photographing Ghosts with Estelle Chaigne and Shannon Taggart

The Undead Archive artists Estelle Chaigne and Shannon Taggart have based their artistic oeuvres on photographing ghosts. With moderator, Sarah Hodges-Kolisnyk, whose work is also represented in The Undead Archive, they will discuss how and why ghosts are so compelling, and how they capture these immaterial beings through digital and analog photography.

Estelle Chaigne is a photographer and artist living in Rennes, France. Her work utilizes early 20^th century cameras, magnesium flashes, temporary tattoos and digital video and takes the form of installations, videos or participatory experiences that bring into play the act of the photographic medium and its ability to show the invisible and the latent.

American artist Shannon Taggart was first introduced to the realm of Spiritualism during her teenage years. In 2001 Taggart embarked on a journey documenting séance rooms and the elusive substance known as 'ectoplasm', beginning in Lily Dale, New York—the renowned epicenter of Spiritualism.  Taggart's monograph, SÉANCE, features significant historical imagery from the Hamilton Collection at the University of Manitoba, among so many others, illuminating the rich tapestry of Spiritualism's heritage.

Sarah Hodges-Kolisnyk uses analog and digital techniques to engage with the unique qualities and histories of the photographic medium while considering questions of place and identity. Based outside of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Sarah is the Director/Curator of MHC Gallery at the Canadian Mennonite University.