Kirlian Wood Block Series

Kirlian photography is one of the methods often cited as being ‘proof’ of energy fields surrounding all living things.

Kirlian photography is a collection of photographic techniques used to capture the phenomenon of electrical coronal discharges, named after Semyon Kirlian, who accidentally discovered in 1939 that if an object on a photographic plate is connected to a high-voltage source, an image is produced on the photographic plate. Throughout the years, it has been the subject of scientific, parapsychology and art research. There has been much debate that Kirlian photography has no scientific basis, but it has been used in alternative medicine research. 

In 1939, two Czechs, S. Pratt and J. Schlemmer published photographs showing a glow around leaves. The same year, Russian electrical engineer Semyon Kirlian and his wife Valentina developed Kirlian photography after observing a patient in Krasnodar Hospital who was receiving medical treatment from a high-frequency electrical generator. They had noticed that when the electrodes were brought near the patient's skin, there was a glow similar to that of a neon discharge tube.

The Kirlians conducted experiments in which photographic film was placed on top of a conducting plate, and another conductor was attached to a hand, a leaf or other plant material. The conductors were energised by a high-frequency high-voltage power source, producing photographic images typically showing a silhouette of the object surrounded by an aura of light.

Semyon and Valentina Kirlian experimented with their new discovery. During one experiment, they took one photo of a whole leaf and another of the same leaf sliced in half. The area that should have been empty was still visible in the photo. They claimed that this was further proof that aura energy exists and can be captured. Even when part of a whole object is taken away.

Scientists have an explanation for this. The remaining aura is residue and water vapour still attached to the photographic plate. If you photograph a leaf on one plate and half of the same leaf on another, you’ll get different results. Other people have experimented with different photographic plates. They’ve found that the Kirlians’ assumptions were correct. Parts of a whole remained in the aura, even when they were removed.

In 1958, the Kirlians reported the results of their experiments for the first time. Their work was virtually unknown until 1970, when two Americans, Lynn Schroeder and Sheila Ostrander, published a book, 'Psychic Discoveries Behind the Iron Curtain'.

Of course, all this has resulted in a lot of controversy, with some people believing that electricity intensifies the aura of a living being. Others claim that it’s nothing but science at its finest. For those who can see or sense auric fields, no camera is needed!

These blocks are an attempt to show the lively auric field of the humble leaf, they are created on reclaimed wood, hinting at the circularity of the life, death and rebirth cycle.