The Carleton University Art Gallery (CUAG) was host to a lecture on a ubiquitous topic of popular culture — the supernatural.
Simone Natale gave a lecture at the gallery Feb. 4, which was co-hosted by the Institute for Comparative Studies in Literature, Art and Culture (ICSLAC) and the School for Studies in Art and Culture, and CUAG.
Natale’s lecture highlighted many of his ideas about popular culture’s obsession with ghosts and the supernatural.
Natale claims that this has its roots in 19th century practices such as séances.
As technology progressed, the public’s fascination with these ideas followed, resulting in it becoming a natural topic in film and photography.
Today, this still exists in the form of horror and fantasy movies, as well as books and video games.
“These topics are connected by religion, and at the same time they are something that fascinates everybody,” Natale said of his interest in the supernatural.
Mitchell Frank, the director of the ICSLAC, explained the co-ordinators’ interest in the topic.
“It’s something that spans a variety of different disciplines from history to the beginning of film to literature,” Frank said.
There were many film students and teachers in attendance, including film studies professor Murray Leeder.
“The age of modernity, the age of disenchantment that’s supposed to chase all of the supernatural things out of the world paradoxically actually increases the interest in these things,” Leeder said of his interest in the topic.
“The most secular, the most rational cultures all seem to be the ones most fascinated in the things that escape all of that. It’s that relationship that really intrigues me.”
Natale is a postdoctoral research fellow of the Humboldt Foundation at the University of Cologne in Germany.
Natale has written for many journals including Early Popular Visual Culture and the Canadian Journal of Communication.
His lecture dealt mostly with the supernatural and its merging with popular culture in the late 19th century.
Natale said the future of the supernatural in pop culture will be ongoing.
“At least as successful as the present,” Natale said.
“It’s also how you define it,” Natale continued.
“For instance, [spiritualism] in the 19th century was really like a church often, like a religion. In Brazil now there are millions who are believers in this spiritualist church.”
Natale was also asked about whether or not he believes in ghosts.
“I don’t. I’m a skeptical person,” Natale said as he laughed.
“This shouldn’t be the real question. It’s not that they are spectacular because they’re true. I think that’s some other belief.”
