Victorian Train Madness : In the Victorian era, people travelling by train were fearful that their brains would scramble at the new speeds and noise levels. This heightened into a mass hysteria of people going “instantly mad” onboard. Toxic materials/smoke are also potential contributors.
Beetlemania : In the 1960s, numerous textile factory workers believed that June bugs were making them ill, yet despite the manifestation of physical illness, entomologists called to the scene found no trace of June bugs. Psychologists concluded that the power of suggestion on top of being overworked were the “culprits” of this mass delusion of illness.
Glass Delusion : In 15th-17th century Europe, particularly among the wealthy and royal, mass hysteria was caused by the delusion that oneself was made of glass and likely to shatter. This was rooted in vanity, materialism, mental illness, and glass being seen as a magical high commodity.
The Soul Stealing Scare : The Qianlong emperor’s paranoia and abuse of power caused mass hysteria in China during the 1760s. Sorcerers were thought to be stealing souls by cutting men’s braids-which had significant political importance. Fearing rebellion, the emperor would sentence anyone who refused the braid (a symbol of loyalty) to death.
Satanic Panic : Hysteria surrounding cults was on the rise in the USA during the 1980s, with the belief satanists had made their way into daycares to indoctrinate, abuse, and sacrifice the youth.
The Meowing Nuns : In the Middle Ages, nuns in Germany and France, who were often forced into extreme and isolating lifestyles, began to act strangely like creatures, collectively meowing like cats, biting, etc.
The Monkey Man : In 2001, delusions of a monkey man led to mass hysteria in India. People harmed themselves by jumping off roofs, down staircases, etc, trying to escape a creature that was never proven to actually exist.
Unknown Ariel Phenomenon: Over 60 students at the Ariel School in Zimbabwe claimed to see aliens land just past their yard, glitching and moving towards them impossibly fast in a zigzag motion. The aliens told the children telepathically to make environmental changes to prevent our world’s destruction.
Witch Cake : The “witch cake” (a spiky bagel, made of rye and the urine of accused witches) was a catalyst of the Salem witch trials, leading to many deaths, both human and animal. When fed to dogs who were seen as “familiars”, it was thought to reveal their owners magic. The cakes may have also caused ergotism (grain fungal poisoning)- explaining convulsions and other “witch” symptoms.
The Dancing Plague : In 1518, hundreds of people danced uncontrollably, flailing their limbs and begging for mercy, in the streets of Strasbourg, France. It was believed that Saint Vitus triggered this mass hysteria, claiming to exorcize their demons and free them from sin. It was described that they danced on a sea of red.
Phantasmagoria
Historical cases of mass hysteria are represented through surreal digital paintings, entertaining the strange deluded perspectives and influences behind them. “Phantasmagoria” brings awareness to a universal pattern of human behaviour.
