The Paranormal Megaliths & Utz Richter

In 2024, it is near-impossible to imagine a cultural and artistic climate where mysticism and esoteric belief systems could overlap with the world of science and technology. How can the rigorous objectivity of modern technical knowledge be reconciled with the arcane spiritualism which defined human culture in centuries past?

‘Paranormal Megaliths’ archives the work of an individual who operated at the junction of science and mysticism, viewing them as complementary – rather than conflicting – knowledge systems, a worldview that would lead to a life of obscurity. That individual is photographer, mystic, technician and inventor, Utz Richter.

It is an enigmatic, puzzling and magical body of work, centring on Richter’s spiritual quest to tap into the subconscious of our world.

'Partaya' / Cotopaxi province, Ecuador / -0.862566, -78.910418

Viti Levu, Fiji / -18.085973, 177.376755

Meadowbank, Tasmania, Australia / -43.009159, 147.932736

Get the book here

Get the book here

Utz Richter

Born in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1923, Richter was the only child of Austrian mathematician and engineer Moritz Richter and Swedish artist Carina Richter. The couple chose to raise their son on the esoteric teachings of the Rosicrucian Order, a spiritual and cultural movement not uncommon in Sweden during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Rosicrucianism combined elements of Christian mysticism, Cabala, alchemy and Norse mythology. It taught a number of unique insights about the cosmos, nature and the spiritual realm, with a belief in the existence of divine beings that inhabit our world (though remain unseen).

As a child, Utz Richter was introduced to an experimental meditation practice which his mother Carina had designed to aid in his spiritual and creative development. Together, they would induce trance-like states and engage in automatic- drawing exercises that would last for hours

Automatic drawings taken from Richter’s art diary. 1923

As a teenager, Utz Richter would venture on photographic missions in search of nature’s hidden, cosmic beauties. Diaries from these years detail Richter’s early experiments with automatic photography.

Upon graduating from secondary school in 1941, Richter applied for an internship at the Hasselblad photographic facility in Gothenburg. Impressed by his fine mechanical and tooling skills – skills Richter had learned as a watchmaker in his youth – Victor Hasselblad hand- picked Utz to work alongside him as assistant. Together, they developed an array of developmental camera technologies which helped bring the first Hasselblad production cameras to everyday consumers.

During his time at the Hasselblad facility, Utz Richter gained a formidable reputation as a genius technician within his field. This association with Hasselblad would eventually see Richter relocate to the United States, becoming part of the NASA Space Program in 1962. Nasa mission control monitors progress of the Apollo 7. Taken by Richter on 1968

Utz Richter at NASA taken in 1968.

Richter’s notes on the megaliths

Paranormal Megaliths

“Free-standing, mythical structures from unknown origins, megaliths are scattered across the world. Most are formed as vertical alignments; multiple stone-like structures stacked on top of each other, though not all adhere to this formation.”

“I know little about megaliths but believe they hold great historical, cultural and scientific significance to humans’ understanding of the Earth, spiritual planes and beyond.”

'Saero' / Meadowbank, Tasmania, Australia / -43.009159, 147.932736

'Saero' / Meadowbank, Tasmania, Australia / -43.009159, 147.932736

FORSESA / Kyoto, Japan / 35.027399, 135.799043

FORSESA / Kyoto, Japan / 35.027399, 135.799043

CHINCHE / Unknown location, Japan

SAFIONU / Northern Sydney, Australia / -33.805728, 151.221246

“One of several spherical monoliths I have encountered. Safionu is singularly breathtaking in its structural integrity. The mind needn’t strain to imagine this magnificent orb in its entirety.” Excerpt from Richter’s field notes

PSOLTKA / Lake Bumbunga, Australia / -33.905476, 138.171208