MUST BE THE SEASON OF THE WITCH (AND THE OCCULT AND MAGIC)

Musings Abroad | Molly Gosewich

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October occupies a special place in the Gregorian calendar and in our hearts. As soon as September 30th becomes October 1st, you must watch Hocus Pocus while drinking Black tea. I don’t make the rules… But, ever since I can remember, I have been a sucker for every type of media that has to do with witchcraft, magic, and general spook.

So just as Halloween is impending, we travel to Cornwall in south-west England to steal a look at the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic, the perfect amalgam of the aforementioned and the occult. Cecil Williamson, a British Neopagan Warlock, founded a Museum of Witchcraft in Stratford-upon-Avon but later moved to the Isle of Man after local opposition in the 1940s. In 1951, The Folklore Centre of Superstition and Witchcraft opened with Gerald Gardner, the founder of modern Wicca, who was featured as the ‘resident witch.’ As time went on, Williamson returned to the mainland to set up a succession of witchcraft museums. Eventually, he settled in the Cornish village of Boscastle and opened the Museum of Witchcraft in 1960.

This brings us to today. With a selection of beautiful and mysterious objects ranging from shamanic amulets, talisman and ouija boards to grimoires and genitalia-shaped vessels, the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic is quite incredible. As a meaningful site for practitioners of Wicca, Paganism, and other esoteric traditions – the non-practicing public is welcomed too, including those interested in folklore, like myself.

In the spirit of Spooky Season, I present you with the most curious objects present in the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic’s collections.

Incense Stick Holder

Brass

Source: MWM

Poppet of a Vicar

Wax, hair, metal, paper, wood, glass

Source: MWM

This puppet pictured above is equally creepy and cool. Copyright information states that it is likely from Battle, East Sussex and Victorian, although a slightly later date of c. 1920 seems more likely. The Museum's Director has tried and failed to identify the church depicted in the painting attached to the back of the box. I would not want to be the guy inside the box, someone definitely had it out for him.

Photograph

Source: MWM

Perhaps the creepiest object I found is a photograph of a woman named Joan Wytte aka the Fighting Fairy Woman of Bodmin. According to folklore, she was a witch and clairvoyant who lived in Bodmin, Cornwall at the end of the 18th century. Her nickname, the Fighting Fairy Woman of Bodmin, is in reference to her short stature and her even shorter temper. According to Strange Remains, "The legends of Joan Wytte state that she was born around 1775 in Bodmin... She was infamous for her tendency to pick fights. During a particularly nasty fight, she injured a couple people pretty bad and was arrested. She became ill in 1813, while in jail, and died at 38 years-old."

The photograph above was taken prior to her burial in 1998, as her bones had been interred for some time. They were also used for seances and other practices, and were eventually hung on the wall of the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic. Her bones are pictured here within a fleece lined blanket, along with a headstone and dish containing a clay pipe, tobacco, brandy, oils, herbs, and incense. It is alleged that while her skeleton was on display, they started to experience disruptive poltergeists... very spooky. 

You can check out the MWM Collections for more photographs of her skeleton. If you're brave enough!

BUT IS IT ART? ILLUSIONS: THE ART OF MAGIC AT THE AGO

Exhibition Reviews | Mary Wallace

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Detail of Strobridge Lithographing Co.'s Kellar - Levitation, 1900. (Photograph courtesy of Mary Wallace.) 

A good magician has be adept at so many elements of performance while simultaneously appearing as though they are not performing any of them. They must be able to win the trust of the crowd despite explicitly being there to fool them; they must be able to handle their props gracefully and naturally, pretending that a hollow prop is solid or pretending that an envelope laden with secret pockets is perfectly ordinary. Most of what makes good sleight of hand, like good design, must be completely invisible.

In the AGO’s Illusions: The Art of Magic the curator’s hand is often more heavy than sleight but I don’t think that is necessarily a bad thing.


The Art of Magic is dramatic from the get-go; one enters through a velvet curtained hallway where turn of the century vaudeville tunes play softly. Inside the walls are painted a dark, velvety green, reminiscent of a pool table. The style of the exhibition space is appropriately theatrical; pieces are lit by spotlights in the dark exhibition space. Section labels are equipped with lenticular prints so thematically appropriate images “appear” as you walk past, however, the effect is somewhat hindered by the low lighting.

There are also several interactive elements in the show. Visitors may look through small peep holes in the walls to view tricks being performed or archival footage from the turn of the century. At about the halfway point of the show there is a station to “design your own magic poster” using various elements from the posters featured in the show.

Take a Peek! Featuring a video demonstrating some sleight of hand. (Photograph courtesy of Mary Wallace.)

The kitschy aesthetic brought back memories of flipping through Ripley’s Believe it or Not books in the school library, which is not a memory I ever thought I’d associate with the AGO. I had fun at The Art of Magic and I’d recommend it to others but I at several points I found myself thinking “I can’t believe I’m in an art gallery right now”. For all the times I’ve written essays railing against The White Cube and reviews complaining about galleries taking themselves too seriously, I was confronted with the fact that maybe I like white cubes more than I’d like to admit and that there was a small part of me that thought this show was too fun.

A lovely assistant hovers above the exhibition. (Photograph courtesy of Mary Wallace.)  

It’s not like the exhibition is unintelligent or shallow. With every successive room I thought to myself “I hope they have more information on this” and lo and behold there it would be. For instance, I was really taken with the incredible skill with which the posters were designed and printed. Most of the posters of this time were made with a process called “chromolithograph”, a precursor to modern CKMY printing, in which posters are successively printed with primary colours which layer to create depth. When you consider the technology of the time, the quality of images achieved is absolutely amazing, I was particularly struck but the sensitivity with which this portrait of Harry Kellar was rendered, rivalling that of any oil painting. Of course, very few of the artists behind these works are named but at least two text panels are devoted to explaining the printing process and acknowledging that the collaborative nature of producing these works would make naming an individual artist almost impossible.

Detail of Strobridge Lithograohing Co's Kellar, The Great Magician, 1894. (Photograph courtesy of Mary Wallace.)

Another aspect of this art form that I had hoped would get some attention in this show was the orientalism that pervaded early magic acts. In the very first room, a poster from around 1915 advertises Chung Ling Soo and his Ten Assistants, in which a man in a Chinese inspired costume holds up ten fingers. Later in the exhibition there is an entire selection devoted to Chung Ling Soo and other similar characters played by white men that were meant to capitalize on the fascination with Asian art and aesthetics. This section is accompanied by a short interview with Julie Eng, executive director of Magicana and a magician herself, as she discusses her experiences confronting these stereotypes in her own career.

James Upton Ltd.'s Chung Ling Soo and his Ten Assistants, around 1915. (Photograph courtesy of Mary Wallace.) 

Ultimately, I thought the objects on display were both interesting and aesthetically pleasing but more than that the exhibition pulled back the curtain just enough to add depth to the spectacle and make it more than just an amusing trick.

Detail of Strobridge Lithograohing Co's Kellar, 1899. (Photograph courtesy of Mary Wallace.) 

The AGO is unfortunately closed until April 5 but once it reopens, Illusions: The Art of Magic will be on until May 18, 2020.

AND HERE WE WANDER IN ILLUSIONS

Exhibition Reviews | Maddy Howard

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It's time to get optical!

Toronto has welcomed a new museum into its midst, and this one is pretty special. It's dedicated to the wonderful and weird world of illusions! 

The Rotated Room. Photo Courtesy of Maddy Howard.

The Museum of Illusions Toronto truly baffles the mind and tricks the senses! That's why this exhibition review is going to be a little different. The Museum of Illusions is so cool, that instead of focusing on one exhibition, why not review the whole thing? That, and also it's pretty small, so get ready to hear about some of the trippy and Insta-worthy things you can find here. 

The Ames Room. Photo Courtesy of Maddy Howard.

The Museum of Illusions has definitely lived up to the hype, and gives visitors an immersive experience into the world of illusions. They have several rooms to give visitors those wildly, head-scratching pictures for the Instagram feed. These rooms include a Clone Table, an Infinity Room (so check that out if you missed Kusama), and even a Vortex Tunnel! Similar to Kusama, the Museum of Illusions offers you a breathtakingly immersive museum experience. 

While these rooms do give you some great pics, they also put you into the illusion. The space, while small, does a great job of encouraging visitors to participate in these illusions and think about how their eyes are deceiving them. 

The Ani-Gravity Room. Photo Courtesy of Maddy Howard.

These optical rooms are definitely fun to play around in, but don't miss the different installations along the wall. These installations will make your mind spin. Visitors are encouraged to look at the image, with instructions from the label, telling you "What to do," such as look at the image for 30 seconds, then look at your hand. After you've participated in the illusion, the label beside the installation gives you a brief understanding of what's going on and why you're seeing what you're seeing. 

Turntables. Photo Courtesy of Maddy Howard.

I personally loved the blend the Museum of Illusions has, of giving a space for visitors to snap some awesome pics, while also teaching you about the world of illusions. This is a museum that may attract  those of you who are intimidated by those bigger, more sophisticated museums. That isn't to say that I don't also love my traditional museum experience, but sometimes it's great to be able to run around and touch things, especially when the museum is encouraging you to do so. I think the Museum of Illusions accomplished exactly what they set out to do, which is to offer visitors an intriguing visual, sensory and educational experience.

Hypnotic Vibes. Photo Courtesy of Maddy Howard.

The Museums of Illusions is not only a museum, it's also a playground. It encourages you to explore and interact with the material around you. It's the perfect combination of informative and fun (and you'll get some great pictures out of your trip).

Cafe Wall Illusion. Photo Courtesy of Maddy Howard.

A quick note, the space is very small. So if you want to avoid the crowds, definitely go earlier in the day when it'll be less busy. I would also recommend buying your tickets online in advance. Tickets are sold for scheduled times, so it might be best to plan your trip and buy tickets ahead. And of course, make sure your phone is charged to take those sweet, sweet pictures. 

The Museum of Illusions is now open to one and all, so wander on over to get lost in the wonderfully weird world of illusions.

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