The Undead Archive

Co-presented by The University of Winnipeg’s Gallery 1C03, University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections, and the School of Art Gallery, University of Manitoba

One hundred years ago, renowned author and Spiritualist Sir Arthur Conan Doyle arrived in Winnipeg to give an illustrated lecture on the possibility of communicating with ghosts and spirits.  In the audience that night were the Winnipeg physician Thomas Glendenning Hamilton, and his wife, Lillian Hamilton, a trained nurse. The Hamiltons went on to carry out hundreds of controlled séance experiments in a séance laboratory, investigating the invisible ‘psychic’ force that they believed was evidence of personalities surviving corporeal death. These experiments resulted in a series of captivating black and white photographs which form the core of this exhibition. The Undead Archive and the accompanying anthology, The Art of Ectoplasm, contextualize the photographs from an art historical point of view, revealing attitudes to science and religion after World War I and the 1919 pandemic.

Dr. Hamilton was a leader in psychical research during the 1930s, and his photographs were received in some international circles as scientific evidence of life after death. These uncanny images of ectoplasm had a second wave of recognition in the early 2000s after they were digitized and made available online. A large-scale, multi-site exhibition featuring photographs, séance-related archival manuscripts, and alternative scientific documents from the Hamilton Family Fonds, alongside a host of contemporary artworks in a variety of media, The Undead Archive highlights how contemporary artists from Winnipeg and around the world have responded to these photographs.

The Undead Archive is presented with the generous support of the Manitoba Arts Council and draws on  draws on research and student training supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Artists

• KC Adams
• Teresa Burrows
• Irene Bindi
• Aston Coles
• Celia Coles and Martin Finkenzeller
• Estelle Chaigne
• Angela DeFreitas
• Erika DeFreitas
• Lily Despic
• Chris Dorosz
• Evan Johnson
• Galen Johnson and Guy Maddin
• Sarah Hodges-Kolisnyk
• Jodie Mack
• Guy Maddin
• Susan MacWilliam
• Megan Moore
• Michael Pittman
• Paul Robles
• Shannon Taggart
• Sarah Wendt and Pascal Dufaux
• Tricia Wasney
• Grace A. Williams
•  

With historical photographs and documents from the Hamilton Family Fonds, housed at the University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections and the Survival Research Institute of Canada.

Events:

Opening Reception & Bus Tour (September 21, 2023)
4:00–6:00 pm | Gallery 1C03, The University of Winnipeg, 515 Portage Avenue
6:00–7:00 pm | Archives & Special Collections, University of Manitoba, 25 Chancellors Circle
7:00–9:00 pm | School of Art Gallery, University of Manitoba, 180 Dafoe Road

Tours: The Undead Archive with Dr. Serena Keshavjee

• Tuesday, September 19, 12:15–1:15 pm | Gallery 1C03
• Wednesday, September 20, 1:30–2:30 pm | School of Art Gallery
• Saturday, September 23, 12:00–1:00 pm | School of Art Gallery

Panel Discussion: Photographing Ghosts (September 20, 2023)
With Estelle Chaigne and Shannon Taggart, moderated by Sarah Hodges-Kolisnyk
12:00–1:30 pm | ARTlab 364, 180 Dafoe Road, University of Manitoba

Workshop: The 3rd Eye (September 20, 2023)
With Estelle Chaigne
2:30–4:30 pm | ARTlab 462, 180 Dafoe Road, University of Manitoba

Performance: Surfaces Sensible (September 21, 2023)
By Estelle Chaigne
4:00–8:45 pm | Gallery 1C03, University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections, School of Art Gallery

Online Lecture: Magick, Mediumship, and Contemporary Art (September 22, 2023)
By Dr. Grace A. Williams
12:00–1:30 pm CDT | Live-streaming link available at mawa.ca

Symposium: Study of Psychic Phenomena (September 22–23, 2023)
Mediumship, Spirit Guides, Table Levitations, Ectoplasm, and Photography

• Friday, September 22, 7:00–9:00 pm | University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections
• Saturday, September 23, 10:00 am–5:00 pm | University of Manitoba Archives & Special Collections
  Admission by donation. Registration required.

Performance: Naï (September 26, 2023)
By Estelle Chaigne
7:00 pm | Black Lodge, Winnipeg Film Group, 304-100 Arthur Street
Admission: $6.00 or pay what you can

Panel Discussion: Unsettling the Spirits (October 19, 2023)
With KC Adams, Erika DeFreitas, Chris Dorosz, and Paul Robles, moderated by Dr. Serena Keshavjee with discussant Catherine Van Reenan
4:00–5:15 pm | Room 2M70, University of Winnipeg

Screening: Ceremonies of Light – The Films of Kenneth Anger (October 28, 2023)
Curated by Jaimz Asmundson, introduced by Dr. Murray Leeder
7:00 pm | Winnipeg Cinematheque, 304-100 Arthur Street
Admission: Pay what you can

Book Launch: The Art of Ectoplasm – Encounters with Winnipeg’s Ghost Photographs (November 1, 2023)
7:00 pm | McNally Robinson, Grant Park, 1120 Grant Avenue, Unit 4000
Also live-streaming on YouTube