Postdoc: LENK Sabine (UA/ULB) | Supervisor: VANHOUTTE Kurt (UA)
There is a long tradition of Catholic clergy exploiting the impressive effect of the lantern in dramatic, even terrorizing performances. Abbé E.G. Robert from Liège, famous for his phantasmagorias, used the lantern's powerful influence to manipulate (large) audiences. The optical lantern became a powerful tool for educating adults and disseminating propaganda for the Church's various missions. Two important collections keep thousands of slides previously used in class (Holy Grave, Turnhout) and during other Church activities (Kadoc, Leuven). Their analysis will reveal the subjects considered important by the Catholic Church for the transmission of religious and moral traditions to form good Catholics and citizens. Numerous slides in these collections are self-made and reflect ongoing political discussions. They allow us to explore further the strategies applied by the clergy to propagate their views on social and political issues with the help of the lantern. The documentation available in the two collections allows us also to take into account the performative dimension of such presentations.