AN ANSWER IS EXPECTED

Susan MacWilliam (1969 - )

yellow gold neon

2013

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  • About the work
    Location
    Country: UK
    City: London
    Place: Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, 100 Parliament Street

    AN ANSWER IS EXPECTED is based on the pioneering work of American parapsychologist J. B. Rhine (1895-1980) in the field of extra-sensory perception and telepathy. In 2011, Susan MacWilliam undertook research at the Rhine Research Centre, Durham, North Carolina (formerly the Parapsychology Laboratory founded by Rhine at the University of Duke), where she found a telegram sent on behalf of the Irish medium Eileen Garrett in 1934 demanding: ‘AN ANSWER IS EXPECTED BY THE SENDER OF THIS MESSAGE’. This message became the prompt for the artist’s explorations which include a body of sculpture, video and photographic work.


  • About the artist
    Susan MacWilliam (born 1969) represented Northern Ireland at the 2009 Venice Biennale. Susan is a lecturer in Fine Art at the National College of Art and Design, Dublin. Her video works are held in the British Library Sound Archive. Working with video, photography and installation, MacWilliam explores obscure and overlooked histories and considers perceptual phenomena and the world of the paranormal and supersensory.
  • Explore
    Places
    Subjects
    parapsychology
    Materials & Techniques
    light, neon, neon sculpture
  • Details
    Artist
    Susan MacWilliam (1969 - )
    Title
    AN ANSWER IS EXPECTED
    Edition
    One of an edition of 3, plus 2 artist's proofs (number unknown)
    Date
    2013
    Medium
    yellow gold neon
    Dimensions
    height: 10.6 cm; width: 158.5 cm
    Acquisition
    Purchased from the artist March 2021, through the Art XUK project 2020-21
    Provenance
    The artist; from whom purchased by UK Government Art Collection, 19 March 2021
    GAC number
    18900