AN ANSWER IS EXPECTED

Location

Country: UK
City: London
Place: Cabinet Office, 70 Whitehall

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.

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.

Places

Subjects

parapsychology

Materials & Techniques

light, neon, neon sculpture

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