about tarot
Tarot is made from 78 playing cards and is a tool for psychological self-discovery and healing, as well as a tool to read the future. It is being divided into two parts: the major arcana cards, a combination of 22 cards that are numbered from 0 to 21, and the minor arcana cards, consistent of 56 cards in 4 different suits: in most cases swords, cups, coins or pentacles, and wands. Arcanum is the latin word for secret or mystery.
From the 18th century onwards, the history of tarot cards is mostly identical, however before that time, there are various sources and theories about their emergence. Some sources say that playing cards originate from Mamluk Egypt, from where the first playing cards probably entered Europe in the late 14th century. Even though there is history about playing cards, there is no evidence for them being tarot cards. Playing cards are wide-spread soon in Europe in the late 14th century. It‘s most likely that a deck of 52 playing cards entered from the Islamic world into Europe. These cards were similar to the minor arcana. Around 1500 there is already evidence of many card decks that were named „taraux“, or „tarocchi“, but the word „taro“ is not being used yet. Also the word „trionfi“ was in use, an assimilation to the trump-suit of the major arcana cards. The oldest trionfi-game was created between 1418 and 1425 and was at the same time probably the most expensive of all times. The oldest use of the word „trionfi“ is proven in february 1442 in Ferrara, Italy. Another early document is a production of trionfi-cards for a wedding on Jan 1st 1441. They are partly still existing and are on display today in Cary-Yale-Museum, where they can be seen under the name „Visconti di Modrone“ or „Cary-Yale Tarocchi“.
It can therefore be assumed that tarot found it‘s origin in the two families of Este in Ferrara, and Visconti in Milan. In 1450 it is mentioned in Milan, Ferrara and Florence, 1452 also in Siena. The Pierpont-Morgan-Bergamo-Tarocchi (or: Visconti-Sforza-Tarocchi) is being assigned to the year 1452 and it was long argued that the Tarot game was then complete.
the dreamer‘s tarot
Tarot has recently gained a lot more attention again through the public and is living a rediscovery. Many artists are creating really incredible, individually illustrated and designed tarot card decks that are extremely beautiful to use. Dior used the topic of tarot for their haute cuture collection of spring/summer 2021 and the book publisher Taschen created a book about the history of tarot which is really worth owning when one is interested in the topic.
The dreamer’s tarot is a photographic tarot card deck. It is combining a classical tradition of tarot with a contemporary look, design and content. It’s a tool for personal development and self-discovery.
The dreamer’s tarot is following the 600 year old tradition of tarot in a new and updated manner – combining a classical system of cards with a contemporary and modern look of analogue and digital photography, as well as new and contemporary interpretations.
The dreamers tarot is exactly that: a new interpretation of a traditional tarot card deck through digital light painting and analogue photography.
The - all in all 82 - images are taken in 12 countries on 4 continents over a course of ten years: between 2010 and 2020. The countries from which they are collected are: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cuba, Egypt, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Morocco, and Turkey.
They all purposefully have an element of serendipity to them, in their making as well as in their esthetics. It can be used for development of self, for character growth and guidance in life. It is designed to show the path of life, to give guidance and is functioning as a compass to finding one‘s direction in different situations and circumstances.
techniques of photography
The process of shooting the major arcana images consisted of:
1. finding a fitting location. In some images I wanted an outdoor background that would lighten up at night like a city skyline (like the rooftop we were shooting on for „the moon“) or a nightsky with stars (in the Moroccan desert for „the lovers“), or a random top of a mountain (the stone theatre we used in the image of „the hermit“).
2. the costumes: sometimes I needed to create wings (for the greek goddess of victory Nike who represents „the star“ card) or needed to paint the whole model blue („the wheel of fortune“), golden („the emperor“, „the hierophant“) or in red-tones („the fool“).
And last but not least of course:
3. the shooting: We needed to get to the places, bring all equipment with us, put on costumes and make up, set up the camera to the right nighttime-settings, and start multitasking. Sometimes it was possible to have a shooting with only me and the model, but other times it needed up to two assistants additionally.
The technique of my digital form of lightpainting is unique because it paints the models by hand with a long shutter speed. In my images I had the shutter speed on 30 seconds. „Normal“ lightpainting is either lighting persons with a flash, painting abstract figures with light, or still objects. The problem with light is, that the object, that is lightened with a moving light, has to remain absolutely still, otherwise it becomes a storted image, due to the long exposure. That‘s why usually in lightpainting, humans are lightened with a flash. In my images, I only used a flash in two images: the emperess and the high priestess, the two images that were done with thrown flour, which was really too shortly in the air, so we had to use a fast flashlight. In all other images, the models had to hold absolutely still and were even forbidden to blink, while they had bright light shining onto them (and into their eyes while being in absolute darkness - so for a moment they would all get blind). The technique of light-painting the person on the image creates a more soft and un-sharp character in the photo, which gives it a dreamy and supernatural touch. The digital photos were shot with a Canon 5D Mk II, and they are not photoshopped, every image is exactly as we photographed it.
The analogue images were quicker to shoot on the go, and with less organisational work, but with a high serendipity factor.
The cameras I used for my analogue images, were a Voigtländer Brilliant, and two Lomography-cameras: a Lomography Holga and a Diana Mini.
The Voigtländer Brillant V6 Voigtar 3,5 camera is a two-eyed single-lens reflex camera. It was manufactured between 1932 and 1951 in Germany. The images made by the Voigtlander are all on 120 mm medium format film. The Voigtländer is a bit more advanced in usage, since all the technical measurements have to be done manually. The shutter speed and aperture of lens have to be guessed.
The Lomo cameras are both made from plastic and very simple to use – which creates a great serendipidous effect. The Holga also uses 120mm film, the Diana Mini uses standard 35mm film. The Lomographys are great to carry around and always have them at hand, since they don‘t weigh much.
For the sharpness of an image, the distance to the subject has to be either measured or guessed in all these cameras, as well as the choice of film and its ISO.
For the double exposures I had to think about exposed and non-exposed parts of the film when I would expose the same film twice. Black, non- or little-exposed parts in the first shot – like a dark silhouette in front of a bright sky – would take on the exposure in the second shot – such as flowers, for example.
For each shot it was neccessary to think about all the described details at the same time, in order to get the image right. It was also great fun to have the opportunity to explore all these kind of places and countries in order to bring the collection of imagery together.
