Arcana REVIEW-- Feretian String

We encourage readers to submit reviews of exhibitions. Our Saminaka resident, Feretian String, is a Tarot reader--although Tarot is not African, many African-Americans have used it for divination. And divination in other forms is has long been a vital activity in many African cultures.

"Arcana" is a sculptural excursion into the world of Tarot. Based loosely on the 78 card Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) Tarot, it portrays the twenty-two Major Arcana (or trumps) of a traditional deck.

Originally a Renaissance trump-taking card game, the first Tarot decks were hand-drawn; later ones were printed from large woodcuts that might hold up to thirty images on one piece of wood. The "pips" or numbered cards were the forerunners of our modern playing cards. The trumps are thought to have represented archetypical characters that appeared in frequent Italian parades of the time. At some unknown point in time, someone began to use the cards for divination.

A few examples of early decks survive in fragile print sheets, woodblocks, and crumbling ancient cards. Modern artists have restored and recreated as many of these early images as possible with the sparse remains.

The Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) Tarot is arguably the most important influence on the reemergence of card divination. Conceived by Arthur Edward Waite, the paintings were a commission to illustrator Pamela Coleman Smith, who received a pittance for the work. Waite supplied the meanings and symbols for each card, but Smith also researched and developed visual interpretations of her own. The resulting Tarot was published in 1909 to small acclaim, but its reissue in the seventies spawned a new generation of Tarot readers. Most modern readers learned the skill using a RWS, and many still favor it over the hundreds of beautiful decks created during the last few decades.

The modern Tarot community is extensive and international. A quick search turns up several established Tarot societies and forums. A search for Pamela Coleman Smith results in extensive scholarly attempts to recreate her life and works. Within the Tarot community, Smith has posthumously received the recognition and admiration she deserves.

"Arcana" is a Majors-only collaborative Tarot project. The artistic director of the project, Pixels Sideways, chose a unified theme for the entire deck; in this case, the procession of the Major Arcana "is a natural theme in and of itself -- it is rife with symbolism and therefore wide open to interpretation. The artists were left free and open with some technical caveats, and each artist also received an artist build package that had a description of their card which I pulled off wikipedia -- but they could -- and many did -- do further research. Some of the artists were also very familiar with the Tarot.

"When I selected the artists I didn't want to have them pick the cards so I had the cards pick them! I wrote the names of the cards on little bits of paper and put them in the magic zip-loc baggie. As each artist committed to the project I'd think about that artist and draw a card from the bag."

Pixels chose to "die" on her Death card for the camera.

I found "Arcana" in the "Showcase" feature in Search. I teleported to a large open arena where signs briefly described the Tarot, and directed me to a teleport to the first card, the Fool. The Fool's journey through the subsequent cards describes the journey we take through life with its attendant lessons and challenges. I was encouraged to ascend the dais and "claim" my crown for the journey. A complete set of images from RWS radiated from the central dais. The Fool's traveling bag, a stick-and-kerchief affair containing elements of the Tarot suits, hung suspended in the center. A fox labeled "pet me for wisdom" yielded a notecard detailing the Fool in different aspects and interpretations, symbology, and further discussion of the Journey.

Card number one (the Fool is zero) is the Magician, wonderfully playful and rich in texture and layer. Directed to touch a podium for its magic, I found myself looking at myself in full Magician pose among the tools of his trade. Truly magic, and a huge boost to the ego.

Temperance is elegantly scripted and visually intriguing. Polished wood, molten steel, glass and crystal, smokey daguerrotypes, midnight walls, were all in graceful movement or sudden appearance.

The image of Judgement is the angel Gabriel trumpeting the call to rise up and take stock of one's life; a new beginning not without its consequences. In White Lebed's version, the horns are enormous ivory ribs arching overhead and sweeping below, the bells forming a gauntlet of sorts. A stylized figure at the end seemed bowed by forces above and around it, yet struggling to remain upright. Difficult to understand this figure until I moved round it and it came into clear focus!

"My work is usually semi-abstract. I remove all visual things that are not necessary for the message so there's no texture or scripts unless the shape can't deliver the content."

White's is a clear, precise vision, presented in a conservative post-modern style.

Strength is often depicted as a serene woman gently closing the jaws of a lion. Feather Boas' s vignette gives a sense of uninterrupted power, a force not to be set aside easily. Steel pistons and gears, glowing lions flanking the woman's gaze, swirls of light festoon the viewer.

"I constructed an environment made of girders and gears, a factory of steel and steam; some broken parts showing vulnerability. The woman represents strength, resolve, beauty and fragilty. Strength can be gained and strength can be lost; under every strong person can be found a fragile, vulnerable person..."

Cards are sometimes shuffled in a manner that makes some cards appear upside down. Called a "reversal", its meaning changes to an opposite or to a strengthening of the original meaning. I was certain I was seeing a reversal when I arrived in the neon fury of Justice. It slams the senses after the relative calm of the previous cards, which now seem dignified and sedate. The RWS image of Justice is superimposed on a glowing chartreuse floor. Advertising balloons scream "Justice for f---ing Free!" to either side of a monolith collage of dollars, mid century protesters, soldiers, and more advertisements. The pull down menu offers mildly pornographic suggestions, which become angry and graphic descriptions when chosen.

Some cards followed fairly closely to the RWS. The High Priestess towered over me, pillars flanking, her secret knowledge just out of my reach. The Tower card, crackling with lightning, offered a veiled glimpse of a beating heart at its core. The Chariot was deep dull gray, heading towards a rock outcrop; seen through a framed glass, the scene took on a carmine glow. The World had elements of Victorian steampunk...a Kepler-esque planetarium enclosing the glowing world, surrounded by soft rich scarlet walls.

Although I could not discern the meaning intended in all of the cards, every one was executed with artistic skill and virtual expertise. Many contained a welcome undercurrent of humor (essential to a good deck) without compromising its intention.

The exhibit is arranged in tiers within a huge auditorium. Having to operate a teleporter between each card was disruptive to the Journey, and the translucent paths and ramps were also distracting. I fell near-fatal distances several times while walking around the exhibits. On the other hand, seeing all the cards floating above and below was fun. I would love to see a permanent installation where a reader could literally walk a querent through a reading!

"Arcana" ...through August 20 (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Caerleon%20Art%20Collective2/237/142/3733)