The Society for Psychical Research

The Sven Türck Experiments (1940 - 1945) After attending séances, Sven Türck (a well known Danish photojournalist) set up sessions in a laboratory in Copenhagen. He used three infrared cameras positioned at different angles (above, below, and sides) with infrared film so he could photograph in the low light that mediums preferred. Participants sometimes wore reflective headbands or bands so their movements would show clearly on film. He worked with mediums including Olof Jonsson, Børge Michaelsen, and Anna Melloni Rasmussen. Reported effects included: -Tables and chairs lifting and spinning on one leg - A heavy commode (said to be difficult for two men to lift) moving silently across the floor - Mediums appearing to levitate or be lifted - Occasional ectoplasm-style materializations Türck said he began as a skeptic but was convinced after months of sittings. In 1945 he published the book Jeg var dus med Aanderne (“I Was Familiar with the Spirits”), which presented the photographs as evidence of psychokinesis or spirit action. The negatives were reportedly examined by five photographic experts, including Theodore Andreson (director of the Danish Photography School), who found no signs of darkroom manipulation