Chloe Aridjis: Shadows, Phantoms & the Magic Lantern

Join us in the build-up to Halloween for a very special evening with acclaimed novelist Chloe Aridjis, combining conversation, literature and the strange, flickering world of the magic lantern.

Chloe will be discussing her brilliant book, The Shadow of the Object, published earlier this year and longlisted for the 2026 Booker Prize. An atmospheric exploration of shadows, projection and the hidden histories of London, the book moves through magic lantern shows, optical illusions, forgotten collections and the darker corners of the city, exploring our enduring fascination with images that hover between the real and the spectral.

Following the conversation, renowned magic lanternists Jeremy and Carolyn Brooker will bring this lost world of projection spectacularly back to life with a magic lantern show inspired by Chloe’s book.

Using a historic magic lantern, hand-made slides and other optical effects, the Brookers will conjure the ghosts, shadows and phantasmagoria that once thrilled and terrified Victorian audiences. It will all be performed in darkness as they were intended to be seen.

Part literary event, part performance and part history of the moving image, this promises to be a wonderful evening of shadows, stories and forgotten visual magic just in time for Halloween.

When: Thursday, 22 October, 7–10pm

Where: Kindred Studios, 326 Kensal Road, London W10 5BZ

Tickets: £13 general admission / £10 for Kindred Studios artists