“To me, the uncanny isn’t defined by fear. It’s about objects with shadow, undocumented history, the past and other lives.” That’s how author and photographer Mark C. O’Flaherty describes his aesthetic in Sanctum: At Home With the Uncanny, a book that celebrates eccentric collections of objects and the moody, luxurious interiors where they reside. A short section titled “First Steps” is completely dedicated to stairways, which O’Flaherty calls “a core part of the psyche of a house.” In just 15 photographs, O’Flaherty presents a variety of spaces where kids might eavesdrop on parents, or develop a deeply embedded dream symbol.
It’s interesting to view such an ordinary architectural feature through the lens of the bizarre. Taxidermy is, of course, central to any uncanny aesthetic, and Sanctum is filled with impeccable examples. A two-page spread is dedicated to a single photograph of antique trophy heads in designer Russell Sage’s double-height hallway in Somerset, England. Zebra, giraffe, moose, alpaca and more crowd the deep red space and make the surrounding cobwebs seem like a lacy accessory.
But it’s not all antiques and natural history museum exhibits; some of the homes profiled in Sanctum are relatively minimal, such as the bedroom of John C. Jay, the president of global creative for major Japanese retailer Uniqlo, which would be mostly unadorned if not for a large stone Buddha head. O’Flaherty’s subjects are unusual, but it’s his creative intervention that elevates Sanctum above so many chronicles of gothic interiors. An example of this is his portrait of Sophie Wilson, a ceramist with a penchant for equestrian portraits, in the historic building where she lived. “With some measured anxiety about the integrity of the 16th-century floorboards,” O’Flaherty explains, “we led a neighbor’s horse into the house, stood it behind Sophie, who was sitting on an old couch, and took the photograph.” The resulting shot is both haunting and alluring—a combination that recurs throughout this unusual but elegant volume.