Semyon Kirlian
An experimenter who turned electrical discharge into images
Semyon Kirlian was a Soviet inventor and electrical technician of Armenian descent who lived from 1898 to 1978. Experiments conducted in Krasnodar with his wife, Valentina Kirlian, connected his name with a distinctive photographic technique.
Their method recorded corona discharge around an object in a strong electric field on a light-sensitive surface. Luminous patterns appeared around the edges of leaves, metal objects or fingers. Moisture, surface conditions and the experimental setup all influenced the resulting image.
These pictures have sometimes been presented as evidence of an aura, but their basis is an electrical phenomenon. Claims that such photographs alone can assess a person’s health are not scientifically established. Kirlian’s legacy remains an intriguing meeting point of inventive experimentation, electricity and visual culture.