Myth, Magic & Michael Jackson: Illustrated Presentation and Michael Jackson Karaoke Birthday Party

• Performing Arts
• Religion & Spirituality

Shannon Taggart began to contemplate the curious life and afterlife of Michael Jackson after photographing a number of Spiritualist mediums who reported channeling the spirit of the King of Pop. This presentation will consider Michael’s ambiguous dead/alive status and explore him as the ultimate liminal figure, one who blurs a number of binary oppositions. Materials drawn from popular culture will be used to demonstrate his status as a contemporary mythical figure and reveal his clear parallels with the gods, saints and shamans of the past.

Shannon Taggart is a photographer, researcher and Programmer-in-Residence at the Morbid Anatomy Museum. Her photographs have been exhibited and featured internationally, including within the publications Time, the New York Times Magazine, and Newsweek. Her work has been recognized by Nikon, the Inge Morath Foundation, and American Photography, among others. For more, visit shannontaggart.com.