An exclusive peek in the world of Spiritualism

BEST OF 2023 - For twenty years, photographer Shannon Taggart has been taking pictures of the world’s largest Spiritualist community in Lily Dale, New York - and other smaller communities around the world.

In her exciting quest to capture the invisible, Ms Taggart achieved surprising results. Her search for the ectoplasm – a substance believed to be both spiritual and material - lead her to explore not only the tricks of the trade and its neglected photographic history, but also its lesser-known links to science, prominent historical and intellectual figures, and the women's rights movement.

Video by Maria Badia, Produced by Anna Bressanin

Pictures from the book Séance are courtesy of Shannon Taggart

This video is part of BBC Reel's "Best of 2023" collection, where we bring you some of our favourite stories from the past 12 months.

 

 

29 December 2023