Phénomènes. Les savants et les mystères de l’esprit

Exhibition organized as part of the Photo Saint Germain festival.
Book published by delpire & co.

The rare, never-before-seen photographs in Phénomènes, les savants et les mystères de l’esprit explore researchers’ interest in so-called “unexplained” phenomena, from the 1880s to the present day.
Following on from the first installment in 2022, this event will explore other mysterious phenomena in images, such as telepathy, ectoplasm and the photography of dreams and thoughts. In one of his texts on technical modernity, the philosopher Walter Benjamin insisted that “the nature that speaks to the camera” is “other than that which speaks to the eye”. This is one of the unexplained phenomena of photography: it opens up the impossible, builds unexpected bridges, makes the invisible visible. Whether these astonishing archival documents are the result of accidents or misinterpretations, or on the contrary, of authentic events, is of little importance. The fact remains that, despite the wear and tear of time, they retain their power of suggestion and continue to challenge us.

Musée d’Histoire de la Médecine
12 rue de l’École de Médecine 75006
Monday-Saturday 2pm -5.30pm