Call for papers/presentations for GHost
III: Hostings 3 & 4
GHost-hunters
GHost is led by Sarah Sparkes and Ricarda
Vidal
Institute of Germanic & Romance Studies, Stewart House, 32 Russell Square,
London WC1B 5DN
Deadline for submissions of proposals: 12
July 2010
Date for Hosting 3: 12 October 2010
Date for Hosting 4: 16 November 2010
Venue: The Courtroom, Senate House South
Block, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU
"HAUNTED
HOUSE: Responsible persons of leisure and intelligence, intrepid, critical, and
unbiased, are invited to join rota of observers in a years night and day investigation
of alleged haunted house in Home counties. Printed Instructions supplied.
Scientific training or ability to operate simple instruments an advantage.
House situated in lonely hamlet, so own car is essential. Write Box H.989, The
Times, E.C.4"
This ad appeared on 25 May 1937 in The
Times. It was posted by Harry Price, an early-20th-century
ghost-hunter who was looking for fellow researchers to investigate the
paranormal activities in Borley Rectory, allegedly Britain’s ‘most
haunted house’. Price was a member of the Ghost Club and the Magic Circle
and avid collector of magical artefacts and literature on the paranormal and
occult. He visited and researched ‘haunted houses’ all over Britain
and Europe and documented the presence of ghosts and other inexplicable
phenomena. He was also the first person to broadcast live from a ‘haunted
house’ and is usually referred to as ‘the original ghost
hunter’.
While it is unlikely that a similar ad
would be taken seriously by most readers of The Times these days,
TV-shows such as ‘Britain’s Most Haunted’, or cinema films
like The Blair Witch Project (1999) or Paranormal Activity (2010)
as well as the abundance of websites dedicated to the paranormal attest to the
continuing interest in the field. In some sense ghost-hunting has become
popular entertainment, but its popularity is also an expression of a need to
prove the existence of life beyond death.
We would like to invite proposals for
presentations of 30 minutes on the theme of ghost-hunters for the two hostings
on 12 October and 16 November. We are interested in presentations which
look at ghost-hunting as a historical as well as a contemporary activity and
would like to hear from practicing artists as well as from researchers within
the fields of anthropology, art history, cultural studies, film studies,
history, law, literary studies, parapsychology, psychology etc.
Whether you’re proposing an academic
paper, a performative talk, a recital of poetry or creative writing or a
presentation of your art practice please think of ways of presenting your work
beyond the neat framing of Power Point and take us somewhere on the far side of
Windows Vista.
Please send a (working) title, an abstract
of ca. 300 words, and, if applicable one or two pictures, to [log in to unmask]
Abstracts should reach us no later
than 12 July 2010.
The GHost project has been running since
2008. It addresses the various roles ghosts play in contemporary culture by
bringing artists, writers, curators and researchers together for workshops,
so-called ‘hostings’ and exhibitions of moving image and
performance art. The hostings take place at the Institute of Germanic &
Romance Studies and exhibitions are hosted by St Johns on Bethnal Green (East
London).
For more info please see our website: http://www.host-a-ghost.blogspot.com/
Or join the GHost group on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=117301037117&v=wall&ref=mf
Artists, please note that there will
be a separate call for submissions for the GHost exhibition at St Johns on
17-19 December. We will circulate this soon and will also post it on our
website and on facebook.