A resurrection in contemporary Australian art of an obsession with the afterlife reveals more than a fascination for morbidity. PRUE GIBSON takes a walk on the dark side.

The gentlefolk of the 19th century were obsessed with the afterlife. In 1850, when the life expectancy of a 10-year-old was 58, preparing for the spirit world was a priority. This resulted in a collective morbidity and a fascination with ghosts, seances, hypnotism and objects belonging to the deceased. Sinister and menacing though these hobbies were, they reveal the counter-point of death, which is the rapture of being alive.

Along with the rage for hypnotism, teleporting, illusionism and spirit communing was a more serious scientific interest in neurology and the tenuous lines between life and death...

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Image: Julia deVille, Mechanical Wing, 2007, Kingfisher wing, sterling silver, 12cm. Courtesy the artist.