Forum project, staging an apparition...

HellFireClub

Recently I was reading up on the Knock apparitions. It seems that when the claims of the witnesses were initially being investigated, one of the possibilities being explored at the time was that the "apparitions" had actually been projected onto the church gable wall by a "lightbox" or rudimentary projector type device.

The fact that this supposed Marian apparition was also completely silent at the time, where no oral messages were delivered, for some, this supported the theory I mentioned above.

Just wondering would the forum be interested in trying to replicate the Knock event, or to leave religion out of it altogether, be interested in trying to replicate a ghost type apparition?!? Surely with the amount of technology out there at the moment, some kind of very credible attempt would have surprising results?!?

oceanman

HellFireClub wrote: »

Recently I was reading up on the Knock apparitions. It seems that when the claims of the witnesses were initially being investigated, one of the possibilities being explored at the time was that the "apparitions" had actually been projected onto the church gable wall by a "lightbox" or rudimentary projector type device.

The fact that this supposed Marian apparition was also completely silent at the time, where no oral messages were delivered, for some, this supported the theory I mentioned above.

Just wondering would the forum be interested in trying to replicate the Knock event, or to leave religion out of it altogether, be interested in trying to replicate a ghost type apparition?!? Surely with the amount of technology out there at the moment, some kind of very credible attempt would have surprising results?!?

yes but there was very little in the way of technology at the time of the knock apparitions!

MrMojoRisin

oceanman wrote: »

yes but there was very little in the way of technology at the time of the knock apparitions!

I had a look to see when exactly the apparition occurred and I can't believe it was as far back as 1879! Christ. I always knew there had been an apparition in Knock, but, for some reason, I just thought it happened in the early part of the 20th century. I probably thought the event was as old as the alleged moving of the Holy Mary statue at a grotto in Ballinspittle in Cork in July 1985.

Incidentally, I was hauled along to both holy sites as a young lad. In Knock, I remember lots of people walking around speaking in hushed tones and clutching rosary beads, and I was taken to a mass inside the church as well. That must have been in the early-mid '90s and people still took it all very seriously.

Wikipedia:

On the evening of 21 August 1879, people whose ages ranged from five years to seventy-five and included men, women, teenagers and children witnessed what they claimed was an apparition of Our Lady, Saint Joseph, and Saint John The Evangelist at the south gable end of the local small parish churish, the Church of Saint John the Baptist. Behind them and a little to the left of Saint John was a plain altar. On the altar was a cross and a lamb (a traditional image of Jesus, as reflected in the religious phrase The Lamb of God) with adoring angels.

The Blessed Virgin Mary was described as being very beautiful, standing a few feet above the ground. She wore a white cloak, hanging in full folds and fastened at the neck. The crown appeared brilliant, and of a golden brightness, of a deeper hue, than the striking whiteness of the robe she wore; the upper parts of the crown appeared to be a series of sparkles, or glittering crosses.

She was described as "deep in prayer", with her eyes raised to heaven, her hands raised to the shoulders or a little higher, the palms inclined slightly to the shoulders. Bridget Trench "went in immediately to kiss, as I thought, the feet of the Blessed Virgin; but I felt nothing in the embrace but the wall, and I wondered why I could not feel with my hands the figures which I had so plainly and so distinctly seen".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knock_Shrine#Details_of_the_apparition

But, getting back to your idea, HellFireClub, I suppose it could be re-enacted alright. As you said, maybe minus the religious element.

fryup

oceanman wrote: »

yes but there was very little in the way of technology at the time of the knock apparitions!

It was a magic lantern, bear in mind back in those days people were very devout and lets face it a bit simple minded...so seeing something like that they would have put 2 + 2 together and get 6.

Gillo

I can't remember the exact line from the film "The Box" but it always stuck with me when the strange guy said "If you experience technology far enough advanced, you think it's magic"; a light box in the late 1800's would certainly fit the bill.

I'd certainly be curious to try something, obviously minus the religious side.

BlueValkyrie

Certainly there were plenty of parlour tricks around at the time that could have created the illusion of an apparition. In addition to magic lanterns, the Pepper's Ghost effect was used extensively in theatre and phantasmagoria shows of the time.

Pepper's Ghost would be very difficult to pull off outside (not the illusion itself, but to hide the setup for it), but not impossible I'm sure (I've worked on a play that used the effect before - it's not difficult, and very effective). Magic lantern is far more likely though - and the static images fit with the witness accounts.

HellFireClub

Gillo wrote: »

I can't remember the exact line from the film "The Box" but it always stuck with me when the strange guy said "If you experience technology far enough advanced, you think it's magic"; a light box in the late 1800's would certainly fit the bill.

I'd certainly be curious to try something, obviously minus the religious side.

I think this is what I'm trying to get at here... With the huge improvements in technology that we have available today in 2012, compared to 100 years ago, surely some kind of half decent attempt could be made at creating an apparition that would normally be perceived to be "supernatural" in nature.

Anyone up for it?!?

fryup

you should do it in knock itself mythbusters style

sure it would go down well with the locals;)