Antigonish

By Luke Hickey – View Artist’s Profile
The title comes from a poem of the same name, written in 1899 by William Hughes Mearns. It is based on the stories of a ghost roaming the town of Antigonish in Nova Scotia, Canada. I first heard sections of this poem, creepily narrated in the opening of Swedish Depressive Metal band, Shining’s song ‘Ytterligare ett steg närmare total jävla utfrysning’. Despite the original version pertaining to a ghost, a haunting. Shining adapted it to add layers of melancholia, instead the haunting is one of the mind.

Add to wishlist

The title comes from a poem of the same name, written in 1899 by William Hughes Mearns.

“Yesterday, upon the stair,
I met a man who wasn’t there!
He wasn’t there again today,
Oh how I wish he’d go away!”When I came home last night at three,
The man was waiting there for me
But when I looked around the hall,
I couldn’t see him there at all!
Go away, go away, don’t you come back any more!
Go away, go away, and please don’t slam the door…

Last night I saw upon the stair,
A little man who wasn’t there,
He wasn’t there again today
Oh, how I wish he’d go away….”

– William Hughes Mearns, 1899

Artist

Luke Hickey

Year

2019

Materials

Oil on board

Dimensions

148.4cm x 103.2cm