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Feb. 28, 2021
ArtLofts
Valentween Investigation 2021
This Valentween was very different. With the issues of the pandemic, the art show and event had to be dramatically scaled back. Fewer artists, a different MC (Nancy Alexander, as Dr. Paul Bearer II was not doing events this year), and tightly upheld rules for the reception made this a very subdued year.
However, the SPIRITS of St. Petersburg, as sponsors of the Valentween holiday did hold our annual paranormal investigation. This year we had some new things to try out.
First, Brandy installed an IR security camera in her art studio, and bought cloud storage. The camera alerts her to any movement within the area. The week before the investigation, everything was ready. The security camera started to send alerts of movement within the studio. Several times, strange 2 - 3 second images appeared on the camera. At other times, small white orbs shot across the screen. At least once, the camera appeared to vibrate or sustain a small hit from an unknown source.
The SPIRITS decided to test the space. The fast moving orbs moved from right to left across the screen (see below). The room's single air conditioning duct is on that side of the room. Thus, the fast moving pieces were likely dust particles pushed in front of the screen when the air turned on.
However, the slow floating shapes were something different. They appeared translucent, then had afterimages that lasted for a fraction of a second. These images also seemed to originate from the back of the studio. It is interesting to note that whoever is in the building likely connects to the time in which it was a department store (about 70 years). The walls that currently divide the floor into art studios were added after 2000, and are thus a more recent addition to the building. Could it be that someone is moving through the walls because, for them, the walls do not exist? Is an employee still walking the floor years after the store closed?
Stomping through the room did little to stir things up We observed the air conditioning coming on and off and we did see dust particles in the hallway via flashlight beams. The room itself is regularly vacuumed, but Brandy doe bring her pugs to the studio many times, thus creating the possibility of additional dust or pet hair.
We could not replicate the one instant in which the camera appeared to be jolted by any form of stomping inside the room, or outside of the room. Pounding on the wall also did nothing to disrupt the camera. The only way to get the camera to move was to physically knock the stand on which it sits. The reason that the camera appeared to move in the video remains unknown.
As a follow up, Brandy both vacuumed and dusted the room on March 1. This included the furniture and the artwork. Little was found but if we can reduce the number of factors, all the better.
As were were testing the air conditioning and its impact on the room, we did have one incident. At one point, one of our sensitives noted that the entity had left the room. We were sitting in the room with the door pushed into the door frame but not completely closed. At that exact moment, the door popped open about 8 inches. It did occur at the same time as the air conditioning unit turned on, but when we attempted to replicate the incident, we could not. Various pressures on the door and multiple air conditioning cycles did not open the door again. This is, again, not definitive but something worthy of watching in the future.
The investigation was odd. When the team first arrived, several felt as if there was a presence in the room. One member felt something tap her on the head. But, as we set up our equipment and started working on our experiments, including SLS camera and a spirit box portal, the activity seemed to diminish. In fact, each time the group moved to another part of the building where sensitives felt there was energy, the entities moved out fo the way.
It is possible that we were in contact with one of the multiple spirits that resides there. He has been sensed multiple times and appears to be an older man, a bit off in his behaviors, wearing a button down shirt. Two sensitives have revealed that this person was, in life, a prankster. He played some mean, but harmless, tricks. He knows that I want to find out who he is and so this has become a new game for him -- he is hiding his identity.
During the night, we did do a flashlight session which did seem to get some response (see video). Patrolcus the paranormal pug came with us, though he seemed largely disinterest in the building that night. He did have a couple of staring sessions out in the hallway.
We did attempt to use a desk bell to see if the ghost could interact with physical items, but to no avail.
At the time of the creation of this page, we are still undergoing evidence review.
