Psychometry at the Victoria and Albert

Back in 2009 I was fortunate enough to be asked to take part in a series of workshops and lectures with Mona Choo, the artist in residence at the Victoria and Albert museum.
Mona was interested in exploring a new way of historical objects and clothing telling their story, their unique past. Very often we observe the object from a 2 dimensional perspective and apply a meaning to the object from data that is observed by a 3rd party. The idea of  supposedly inanimate paraphanalia speaking of their physical existence seemed to add a whole new dimension to perceiving and experiencing history.
It was to this end that Mona asked me to come along to the V&A museum and take part in a series of talks and workshops illustrating how various pieces from the museum could indeed give us insights of their journey.www.vam.ac.uk/blogs/monachoo.com; but from a more interactive and holographic viewpoint.
We decided that offering talks to both curators and the public on the subject of psychometry and working with items housed in the museum would be an ideal format for experimentation in the notion of history being understood from a multi dimensional platform. In other words, history becoming alive!!
So, what is psychometry? It is the art of  divining information about people or events associated with an object solely by touching or being near it.
Therein lies the belief that everything is energy. Even the most fixed and solid of objects has the capacity to 'be' energy, we could take it further by saying that everything is Spirit and by it's very nature Spirit must express itself. To the sensitive ear and heart that expression can be translated into very real terms.
The pragmatist might suggest that Psychometry is a way for the lover of the paranormal to seek out an animistic experience, but whatever one's standpoint happens to be, Psychometry is profoundly interesting.
In each of our palms are energy centres or chakras. By holding something between the two palms and tuning in we can receive all manner of information as to the travails of that something. Actually this is not a linear experience. The object generally wants to offer insights as to the salient points of it's life, ( which is in continuum, without any physical death),and may or may not have anything to do with it's owner.
I receive a lot of the information from images and sensations.
The workshops were a lot of fun to do and not only that, it provided me with a great moment to really add a depth and breadth to my work. I remain in gratitude to Mona for that opportunity.
It was fascinating to hear about Coco Chanel's jacket. A piece wall paper and where it used to hang, a lock of hair and a Samurai sword to name but a few of the objects offered to be psychometrised.
By touching and engaging with these objects one could become absorbed in their tale peculiar to themselves,  a tale which embodied the time and the place, a chapter, a moment, shared by owner and object alike. One could get a real 'feel' of what it must have been like to have been around at that point.
I can only hope that in the fullness of time we will be able to witness history from a truly organic and satisfying perspective and I also hope that it might be possible for psychometry to play its part in that.