close up of planchette’s vain warning, fake cyanotype (inkjet on paper)

green restaurant is having a ouija board contest. Good luck finding the requirements for applying on their website, but through some connections of Robrt’s we secured the instructions.

This is really a great way to procrastinate: get sidetracked by a project you totally had no idea was out there, and when you find it, you just have to do it right away.

So, this morning I looked into some stories about ouija boards. One that struck me particularly strongly was an article about a group of people who, while having a reading on the “planchette”, were warned of a murder that was happening right next door to them: “Come, come immediately, disaster approaches, I see it coming, it is there, I will help you, be calm, passed, passed.”

original photograph

A treasure trove of old images, that Kristin recently shared with me, contained this wonderful photo of a trio, sitting together in a living room eating what appears to be chocolates or cookies from a box. The glow coming from the window provided a wonderful ethereal quality and I just had to “photoshop” in the planchette and create the mock seance.

Since I love cyanotype with text, I wanted to create a “fake” print using photoshop to make the page that wonderful blue. I used archival printing paper and inks and here it is.

planchette’s vain warning, fake cyanotype (inkjet on paper) 8×10 inches

The remainder of the story reads:

Thereupon the neighbors banged loudly on the door and windows of the house where the murder was committed. The planchette had previously warned them that it was advisable to discontinue.

The number of murders, robberies and other crimes of violence has very much increased lately in the Capital, which formerly enjoyed the reputation of being safe and orderly.
~ February 3, 1923