Monsterlune

Portrait of Estelle Riviere

Monsterlune

Physical Medium

 

Physical Medium from Gaynor Perry on Vimeo.

Physical Medium: Deborah Griffin

Music: Bend by The McCarricks – with their kind permission.

Photography, film & concept: Gaynor Perry

Physical mediumship is defined as the manipulation of energies and energy systems by spirits. This type of mediumship is said to involve perceptible phenomena, such as loud raps and noises, voices, materialised objects, apports (objects said to appear or be transported to the séance room through supernatural means), or even materialised spirit bodies and body parts, including hands, legs, and feet. The medium serves as a source of power for these spirit manifestations, which, by some accounts, are achieved through the energy or ectoplasm released by the medium.

In 1944, Helen Duncan became one of the last individuals to be convicted under the Witchcraft Act of 1735, a law that criminalised falsely claiming to summon spirits.

Resembling cheesecloth, ectoplasm is described in spiritualist practices as being light-sensitive and capable of being produced only in a darkened room. Emitted through the body’s natural openings, it is said to serve as the raw material for spirit manifestation—though it is widely regarded as part of pseudoscientific beliefs. In this series of photographs and film, Deborah Griffin skillfully portrays the physical medium. Mediumship weaves a complex narrative of belief and need, rooted in a long history and often associated with the emancipation of women.

The Witchcraft Act remains technically in force in Israel, having been introduced under the British Mandate over Palestine. Israel gained independence before the law was repealed in Britain in 1951. In South Africa, the Witchcraft Suppression Act of 1957, modelled on 19th-century colonial laws derived from the Witchcraft Act of 1735, is still active, albeit contentious in modern times.

To be alive is to move through a series of transitions. From conception to extinction, life is never static. By embracing these ever-changing states and resisting the comfort of certainty, we open ourselves to a vast sea of possibilities—free to navigate inner transformations without the constraints of predetermined outcomes.

Tim-Lay-Lav

Tim-Lay-Lav – 80 x 80 cm, oil on board

Tim-Lay-Lav

An old expression which means coming up a bit short in your back, or not feeling very good.

There’s a train made out of a cardboard box. A little girl is sitting hunched with her back to me. She says she is feeling tim-lay-lav.

A Dream

Tim-Lay-Lav #2 – 20 x 20 cm, air-dried clay

Slaughtered Spies

A long, narrow courtyard that was once the headquarters for spies is now unoccupied. There is no need for spies anymore because the world is functioning without secrets and no longer requires espionage. The government has, therefore, executed the spies to remove all trace of previous corruption, wanting to start anew. 

A game is invented making use of the long, narrow courtyard, now desolate apart from two officials. Black bin bags containing the remains of the slaughtered spies are laid out in two lines, perhaps ten bags in each row. There are two tyre swings, and the arc runs the length of the courtyard. 

The aim of the game is for the two officials to swing into each other, causing one another to knock into their bin bags, with the bin bag then being removed. 

Whoever has the most bin bags remaining wins.

A Dream

3D scan