I guess its not really common knowledge that Ghostbusters didn't coin the term "ectoplasm." It originally referred to the spirit material which would exhibit itself from mediums' orifices when they were connected to the spirit world. In actuality, it was usually regurgitated cheesecloth.
I'm fascinated by these photos. They straddle a line between comedy and horror. While to the modern observer they are so obviously faked that the idea that these could ever constitute proof of the supernatural is laughable, they did up the ante in terms of effort from the simple double exposures that one usually thinks of when thinking about spirit photography. They also exhibit an unnerving aesthetic despite (or maybe because of) their chintzy natures.
I've done a couple of projects based on these images. Here's one where I meticulously copied original pictures in ink and then later tried to recreate the picture based on my memory.
Here's my addition to that tradition, with a full figure exhibiting itself from my meditating body.
