Surreal Thursday: Ghosts in The Abstract Art Gallery

This Surreal Thursday we investigate the reports of The Ghosts in The Abstract Art Gallery. The paintings and other art pieces are said to be very haunting, in the aesthetic, emotional & intellectual sense, but many have declared that there is something else at play amongst the displays.

Ghostly figures are reported to walk the halls. Shadowy forms are glimpsed silently admiring the art. Wisps of flickering light seen out of the corner of the eye mingle with other visitors to the gallery, or so it has been claimed.

…………… I think that ghosts occupy a primary — and primal —place among the roster of supernatural creatures because 1) they are a permutation of the soul, not the body and thus 2) can be seen not as a perversion of a human but in some cases as its high metaphysical form. They are not always scary, in other words, but are actually conceived of often as being full of grief and emotional longing, an inability to move on—I think that makes them feel both relatable and almost tragic. And in general our obsession with post-death forms (zombies, vampires, ghosts) stems from our innate drive to understand death, to deal with bodily decay and spiritual ascension, to imagine ourselves as continuing. – Lauren Oliver, author of Rooms

What are we to make of these accounts ? The gallery itself is a classic mix of contemporary and old architecture – The 21^st century twisting around the remnants of the late 19^th, like a snake having devoured its prey, now slowly digesting its still living remains.

Could such emotional and cultural conflict churn up real or imagined spectral activities ? Does the surreal modern abstractions conjured up by the metamorphosing structure combine with the works on display to open up the mind’s eye to other realms and times ?

Some have said they have even seen figures moving in and out of the painting. Other visitors have asked gallery staff whether the works are a form of multimedia, since voices and other sounds have been faintly heard while contemplating the exhibits. The answer is no, perhaps the visual impact have stimulated the mind in a form of synesthesia reverie………

It has been suggested that nothing is truly ever lost or forgotten. It hangs suspend in a timeless aether waiting to be observed like Schrödinger’s cat.  ( For further clarification,  read the M. R. James narrative, Oh, Whistle and I’ll Come To You My Lad.

Synesthetic number form. Richard E. Cytowic, from Cytowic & Eagleman (2009), “Wednesday is Indigo Blue: Discovering the Brain of Synesthesia.” MIT Press

It has been speculated that the combination of the structure of the building and the creative endeavours presented there have created a harmonic resonance that opens the mind and perhaps the physical form to other dimensional states. Visitors have claimed to have lost time while exploring the venue – time slips that go beyond simply losing track of time. Some visitors and staff have found themselves lost among the exhibits. It is as if, like the fictional Tardis, the space within the building shifts and changes.

The accounts of actual disappearances are few and dubious. No foul play or evidence to unsavoury activity has ever been found. True a few visitors disappeared and one or two suffered a fugue and wandered off to be found at a later date.

Note: The incident involving the art critic was greatly exaggerated. It occurred during the wine and cheese gala and there was evidence that  bottled spirits were more likely the cause of the month long ramble than mischievous haunts. The bus load of tourist from Japan were all accounted for eventually . Stories to the contrary that are still circulating on the internet are all overblown hearsay and urban myth.

In conclusion, it is safe to say that the Abstract Art Gallery is not haunted. Visiting remains the same through the week , Tuesday to Saturday. Please remember, tickets are discounted on Surreal Thursdays and the gallery doors are promptly closed and locked at 6:00 p.m. on any visiting day. Due to staff contract conditions, the gallery does not open at the height of the full moon.

Movement in abstract

shapes the mind’s pathway, journey

to others’ lost dreams.

February 19, 2015 | Categories: Digital Art, Digital Photography, Photography | Tags: Antique Impressions, art, Fantasy, Folklore, ghosts, gothic tradition, haibun, haiku, media literacy, mystery, phantasmagoria, poetry, Surreal Thursday, textured text | 2 Comments