Seeing Through Psychics developed when I was asked to participate in an exhibition with the working title Visions of Allentown. To me, the title suggested a restricted premise rooted in modernism, not something for which my work is particularly well-suited. However, I was intrigued by the possibly of “visions of” and eschewed the aesthetically responsive, refined photographs of place for a more esoteric construct: a hidden story. Considering “visions of,” I was drawn to the connotation of witnessing things not seen through normal perception. As a result, I invited professional psychics to meet me at the Allentown Preservation League’s warehouse of architectural salvage and antiques, where I asked them to identify objects that “spoke” to them. Their perceptions, presented as transcribed/edited text, accompany photographs of the objects they selected. The color of the text panel was selected by the psychics from a Pantone™ Color Book to match the color communicated to them by the object. The series’ title is a conscious word play that juxtaposes the possibility of seeing more completely through the aid of these professionals, while at the same time, acknowledging the cultural skepticism that often surrounds consideration of the paranormal.
Seeing Through Psychics Video Overview