Silver Spirits | Jay Gould

Jay Gould (Baltimore, MD)
August 2019. Positive collodion on blackened metal and mirror. Walnut wood, LED lighting, stereo viewer, reclaimed case. Varies: 14x20x5” stereo case Eight 8×10 collodion images, One 4×5”.

Silver Spirits is a two-part project that uses the 19th-century wet-plate collodion photography process to transport Elsewhere viewers through time and space, encountering spirits, mysteries, and illusions throughout their journey. Part one of the project consists of nine photographs on both metal and mirror mounted throughout the three floors of the museum. Viewers are invited to use a map to locate the images, which depict a mysterious spirit that relates to each location. Because this form of photography naturally pushes our minds towards the distant past, these images complicate the story of each location they exist in, adding another mysterious story to these spots.

Part two of the project is a small, repurposed case that opens up to contain tintype photographs that were specially produced in-camera to create a 3D effect when viewed using the special stereo viewer that folds up inside the case. It is a 19th century tour of Elsewhere, full of illusions, spirit figures, chemical ghosts, and unique perspectives of the less frequented locations of the museum. Viewers are invited to relax and guide themselves through the museum with this antique form of entertainment, considering past, present and the sense of curiosity that has persisted in such a unique manner is Elsewhere.

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