Reading Thoughts: Seven Principles for Visual Culture Education

Piece: "0. The Fool" Digital Tarot Card

Question--Re-look at this past research/essays/artworks again. Can you see any of the principle(s) that Duncum mentions in the article you applied to do this research? Please try to use the 7 principles to analyze it.

Power

Tarot cards, in my perspective, are some of the most powerful handheld pieces of art out there. Each card tells a "story" of its own, of which a moral lesson can usually be taken away from. Many people feel a spiritual connection to their personal deck of cards, in which they spend time with every card, trying to understand what it means to them, and what lessons can be learned from them. There are often times a written guide that comes with the cards, however people are usually encouraged to resonate with the cards, meditate on them and find the meaning that they feel from it. It is an intimate experience with both spirituality and art, because two cards could have the same name, but completely different meanings based off of the drawing that is on the card. The possibilities are endless with tarot cards.

Ideology

The Ideology of "The Fool" as a tarot card can vary, however overall the concept is of new beginnings, and could also be a warning to make sure and look before you step. The fool is the first card in the tarot deck, intentionally pushing the meaning of beginnings, newness and the unknown. The hallmark of the fool is a single person about to embark on a journey, but not necessarily on the journey yet. It is meant to leave the reader to consider their options and make sure they plan ahead before "going on their journey."

Representation

Visually, this is represented by a woman who is getting ready to dive off of a cliff, with no indication of what is underneath her. She is fearless, and looks to feel free even with her arms stretched out like wings. She's wearing a flowy blue dress with no shoes. She is past the point of "no return," where if we were to "press play," she would continue down off of the cliff, unless someone were there, out of sight to either catch or pull her back.

Seduction

There is a sensation of impulse when someone gets to the side of a cliff or a rooftop/apartment balcony. It doesn't occur to everyone, but it is something that some people experience. It's something that is simultaneously appealing and horrendous to think about. A grand majority of the time, people brush off the impulse or thought and move on with their day to day lives. I believe that this is a great way to show "A brand new experience" that most people don't think too hard about. The illustration of the girl about to dive off a cliff is mysterious--why is she diving? Is there water below for her to jump into? Did she choose to jump or was she pressured into it? That's part of the seduction of tarot cards--There are multiple meanings to each card depending on the question, context, and person who is reading the cards. It gives people a lot to meditate and reflect on.

Gaze

Typically, people look at tarot cards when they need guidance, validation, or answers. It doesn't necessarily always give people the answers they want or are looking for, but it gives them a different perspective to look at the situation from. So it is a very contextual piece, and most of the time, only people who are interested in tarot will pick up the cards or take the time to look at them. I believe the gaze for this specific card is usually from spiritual people, or people who enjoy contextually dynamic artwork.

Intertextuality

For this piece, I created my own version of a specific tarot card. Tarot has an iconic look to it historically. The "Rider Waite" Tarot is what most people think of when someone brings up Tarot. However in recent years, more and more people have made their own versions of tarot cards, either because they enjoy the aesthetic or because they want the cards to have a much more personal meaning. In my case, I wanted to personalize my own tarot cards. I wanted to show the freedom of choice, but also the stress of that freedom simultaneously.

Multimodality

In a deck of tarot cards, many times there is a number, a word or short phrase, and the image representing it. It is built into the use of tarot cards that there is enough context to draw ones own conclusions without shoving the moral into the viewers face. Each part of the card, front to back is intentionally designed for the viewer/reader.