Tarot Costumes at Archon
Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 12 Oct 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.
| Jeannette |
12 Oct 2002 |
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Hi, Gang!
I hope folks won't mind if I take a moment on the forums to relate a personal sharing...
...if you check out the link below, you'll see one of the reasons why I haven't been posting much on Aeclectic over the past few weeks:
http://www.tarotgarden.com/special/archoncostumes.gif
These are just preliminary pictures, taken by a friend of ours who was in the audience. The professional ones should be available in a few weeks, and I'll probably post those when I have them. The professional pictures should be lit and cropped a bit better.
But to back up and explain: my husband and several of our friends decided we'd take a crack at entering the formal masquerade competition at Archon, which is an SF convention held annually in the St. Louis area. They are generally regarded as having one of the premiere costume competitions in the midwest U.S. Our concept was to faithfully recreate characters from actual tarot cards -- primarily the Londa Tarot, which is an absolutely incredible deck from a costumer's perspective. There were any number of cards we could have chosen from that deck, but we settled on the Empress, the Hierophant, Justice, and Strength. In order to make the idea clear to the audience (very few of whom were probably familiar with the actual deck), we actually recreated the cards themselves as full-size canvas panels. In the actual presentation, we then posed next to the panels so the audience could compare the costumes to the original pictures.
As the concept grew, we further decided to place the presentation in the context of a "gyspy" tarot reading. We had a few more friends volunteer, and they decided to recreate actual gypsy costumes as depicted in the Buckland Romani tarot. As the reader dealt each card, the panels were unveiled one-by-one. Then, after all the panels were visible, those of us exhibiting the Londa costumes entered and posed next to our respective "cards."
I'm happy to report that the presentation not only won the workmanship award for "Best Media Recreation," but also took the "Best in Show" award for this year's competition. I hope people enjoy viewing the preliminary pictures. It sucked up a lot of our time, but we had a lot of fun making and presenting the costumes and props.
(And yes, that's me in the "Empress" costume... although I doubt you'd be able to recognize me on the street from that picture!)
-- Jeannette
http://www.tarotgarden.com
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| Liliana |
12 Oct 2002 |
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ooooooh im impressed, I want your staff, what did you make it with? :)
:THP
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| Thirteen |
12 Oct 2002 |
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Fantastic job! You really earned that "Best in Show"! Congrads! I especially LOVE the Hierophant. What a stunning job. How did you decide which cards to go with anyway?
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| Kirali |
12 Oct 2002 |
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Wow that's really creative and y'all deserved the award! You looked like you just stepped out of the Londa's cards! Great work!! :)
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| Keslynn |
12 Oct 2002 |
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Great work on the costumes and those backdrops! No wonder you got best in show! You certainly deserved it. Also, that was a very imaginative setup with the gypsies reading. WOW!
:) Kes
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| fairyhedgehog |
12 Oct 2002 |
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Those costumes are utterly amazing!
I must admit, I'm now intrigued as to what you look like 'in real life' Jeannette. Any chance of a picture of you to compare?
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| Pollux |
12 Oct 2002 |
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Jeanette, I must say WOW!!! It looks so great!!!
I agree with Thirteen, the Hierophant really looks awesome, I want his outfit!!! I want it for this Halloween!!!
Congrats for the huge job, and for the awards!
And you are a great poser too! *LOL*
--- I think that now I'll have to go and make an outfit inspired from the 8 of Pentacles from WItches (Reed)... ;) *LOL*
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| amyel |
12 Oct 2002 |
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Wow! I just thinking today about Halloween and wondering if I should go as a Tarot card...your costumes have inspired me!
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| MeeWah |
12 Oct 2002 |
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Jeanette: WOW!! Thanks for sharing this. The costumes & props are magnificent (reminiscent of Kabuki theater). Congratulations to ye & your gang for an awesome presentation!!
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| Zhritza |
12 Oct 2002 |
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Wow, choosing the Londa for this presentation was perhaps the most ambitious choice you could have made. The costumes are truly striking and awe-inspiring. You and everyone else in the photos look like living archetypes. Congratulations!
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| Thirteen |
12 Oct 2002 |
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Originally posted by Pollux
the Hierophant really looks awesome, I want his outfit!!! I want it for this Halloween!!!
Okay, now I'm curious. Just how is Halloween celebrated in Naples/Italy? Forgive my ugly American international ignornace here, but I thought All Hallows was a purely American holiday (as compared to say, Samhain, from which it's derived, which is Celtic). In fact, I've been told by some British friends that it's barely celebrated in Britain--the place where most of the traditions (carved pumpkins and the like) originated. This because most of the Autumnal cheer, partying and traditional Samhain bonfires have been shifted onto Guy Fawkes day instead.
Oh, and I think you SHOULD use the Hierophant costume for halloween--and take pictures if you do!
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| purplelady |
13 Oct 2002 |
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That is great Jeanette! I Love how the costumes match up. I have the Buckland Romani cards and am tickled!
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| Melvis |
13 Oct 2002 |
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Wow! Incredible work, Jeanette! You really captured the entire theme and presented it so well. And you won the Best of Show, too! Yay for you!!! :D
Congratulations!
Peace,
Melvis
:TSTRE
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| Marion |
13 Oct 2002 |
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Jeanette!!! I am soooo impressed. What care in details, and you are right, the Londa deck would be a costume designer's deck for sure. You and your friends absolutely deserved the prize.
So, :D are you going to pass out candy in those costumes?
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| Pollux |
13 Oct 2002 |
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Well, I am sorry, but this post will be a bit off topic - Jeanette wil forgive me... ;)
Originally posted by Thirteen
Okay, now I'm curious. Just how is Halloween celebrated in Naples/Italy? Forgive my...
Hey Thirteen, did you know that Halloween is Coming!? *LOL* :D
Maybe it's time to post some more in that thread... ;)
Originally posted by Thirteen
This because most of the Autumnal cheer, partying and traditional Samhain bonfires have been shifted onto Guy Fawkes day instead.
I have no idea what that feast is, must be a typically Brit one.
In Italy they are sad days, especially cos in the south there's a dreary tradition on the 1st and 2nd - it consists in visiting the late loved ones both days, FOR ALL DAY LONG - UGH! :(
You go to the cemetry, take some chairs (it's real! *LOL*) and sit there. You obviously stay at the closest one, and in turns you go visiting the others (who are being "guarded" by other rlatives as well ;)) after making sure that someone else will "guard/keep company" to your closest one.
It is particularly dreary also when it is less than three years since the passing of the late: they are still in the coffin, underneath the ground, and the popular tradition wants that in that case you CANNOT move, and stay there all day long, also to "receive" the other relatives that will come to visit.
When my granny died 4 years ago, we had to do that, for 3 times. I used to go with my mum, and replace her at the grave. One good thing, though, was that I met relatives I would have never gotten to know otherwise! ;) *LOL*
I could think that it is a sort of inheritance from the Celtic Samhain, the day when the boundaries melt down, and the dead ancestors come to visit us. You must make sure that someone will keep them company... ;)
Originally posted by Thirteen
Oh, and I think you SHOULD use the Hierophant costume for halloween--and take pictures if you do!
I'll see what I can do - you know how much I prefer lovers rather than hierophant, and the only thing that occurs to me is a lovers outfit ala Cosmic Tribe, cheap easy and comfortable, but I don't know if i want to get tattooed or pierced, and if I found some other guy to accompany me... *LOL*
In my plan there's also an Hermes costume. Let's say that I was inspired by the Mercury card in the Mantegna deck, to keep it tarotical... ;) *LOL*
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| ihcoyc |
13 Oct 2002 |
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Originally posted by Pollux
In Italy they are sad days, especially cos in the south there's a dreary tradition on the 1st and 2nd - it consists in visiting the late loved ones both days, FOR ALL DAY LONG - UGH! :( That actually sounds like a neat tradition, or it would be if the graves of your ancestors weren't in a distant city. At least you get the day off from work. :) My understanding is that something similar is done in Mexico on All Saints' Day. They make clever little sculptures with skeletons in them to welcome the spirits of the dead. I've got a couple of these.
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| Sinta |
13 Oct 2002 |
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WOW! What wonderful costumes! They would be perfect for some LA Rp! (Live Action Role Playing). How long did it take you to make them? They are absolutely wonderful!
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| Kaz |
13 Oct 2002 |
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jeanette: S T U N N I N G creations you guys made there.......
congrats on winning these awards, well deserved :-)
kaz
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| Violet Gargoyle |
13 Oct 2002 |
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Originally posted by Pollux
I have no idea what that feast is, must be a typically Brit one.
Guy Fawkes was one of the conspirators on the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 (James I's reign in England) in which some bright fellows decided to end the persecution of Catholics (which they thought would end when Elizabeth I died, but James I turned out to be not much different- at least in law) by blowing up the Houses of Parliament in hopes of killing the King, the Prince of Wales, and generally all the folks that they did not like.
When one of the conspiritors put together that "hey, innocent people might get hurt too" he wrote a letter of warning to a friend, a Lord, to stay away from work on November 5th.
This letter was then given to the King who waited for the date and then had authorities storm the basements, where Guy was sitting on top of 36 barrels of gunpowder underneath the House of Lords.
Those caught, Guy in particular, were very publically tortured and executed.
At first the general bonfires lit on November 5th was a thanksgiving celebration that the King had been saved (they started them the year of the Plot). And then got more elaborate, burning effigys/dummies of a "Guy" (and sometimes famous people that they dont like) to throw into a funeral pyre.....
We now return you to your scheduled accolaides of Jeannete's work (I want the Romani Empress Outfit!!!!)
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| Jeannette |
13 Oct 2002 |
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Hi, Gang!
Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone for their kind comments. It was great fun presenting the costumes in the competition, but of course, very few of the audience members were all that well-versed in tarot. (Although probably moreso, admittedly, than the general population, as there is generally a pretty high cross-over interest of science fiction and fantasy fans into the metaphysical arena.) So it means a whole lot to receive such comments from people who actually know, love, and live tarot.
I've been out-of-town again, so I didn't get a chance to read and respond to all these posts while they were "going up." But I see there have been several questions, which I'm happy to answer. I actually tried to keep my original posting reasonably brief, but the story and details behind this whole costume project are extensive and, I hope, at least a little interesting. So, with your indulgence, I'll at least supply a few more details by responding to some of the various questions and comments that have been posted during the weekend. I'll break up my replies to each individual post, to try to keep my posts concise (*ahem!* wish me luck) and easier-to-follow.
So, staring with Liliana's post:
Originally posted by Liliana
ooooooh im impressed, I want your staff, what did you make it with? :)
My husband made most of the major props -- the Empress' staff, the Hierophant's spear, and Justice's sword in particular. What you can't see in the photos, and what I didn't mention before, is that all of these items were actually "wired." When the lights went down on stage, we each had one item that remained "lit," so it could be seen in the dark.
For the Empress' staff, he placed a plama sphere (one of those weird electric balls that shoots out "lightning" that follows your hand when you touch the outside of the globe) inside of two clear plastic salad crispers. There was a switch on the inverse crescent moon to turn the plasma sphere on and off. The circuit board and battery were housed inside the crescent.
The crescent itself was made with Wonderflex™, which is an absolutely incredible material for building about anything that needs a custom shape. I could make a whole post on the marvels of Wonderflex (but it wouldn't be at all tarot-related, of course). The handle was simply a long, wooden rod, painted white.
For the Hierophant's spear, my husband added rune-like symbols that were lit from the inside, so that they appeared to glow.
Justice's sword was made of acryllic, and was bottom-lit so that it also "glowed" in the dark.
Because the character on the Strength card held only a leopard, the decision was made to move the lemniscate from above Strength's head to a "decoration" hanging from the leopard's collar. The lemniscate was then made from safety "glow sticks" which were bent into the shape of the infinity symbol.
For the "serious" competitions of this type, it is traditional for experienced "costumers" to create a book of documentation about the costume background and construction. The book is then given to the workmanship and presentation judges to assist them in their understanding of the entry. My husband documented the costume and prop construction extensively. If anyone is interested in any more details on any of these items, let me know. I'd be happy to scan any or all of the pages of the documentation and post them on the Tarot Garden server for review.
-- Jeannette
http://www.tarotgarden.com
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| Jeannette |
13 Oct 2002 |
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Originally posted by Thirteen
How did you decide which cards to go with anyway?
At the outset, when the plan was only to do cards from the Londa Tarot, we had three female and one male volunteer. So that, for starters, means we needed to choose three female and one male card.
Although many of the characters in the minor arcana are shown wearing very interesting costumes, we decided to stick with the major arcana. This allowed us to bypass the question of whether or not to create the "pip" symbols as part of the costume and/or props.
From there, we next eliminated all of the cards showing characters that were either partially or completely unclothed. (Sidenote: there is an official rule in such competitions that states: "No costume is no costume.")
For males, that left the following four cards as the "front contenders": the Magician, the Emperor, the Hierophant, and the Chariot. Since my husband was making the costume, he got to pick which one he liked the best. Which was, of course, the Hierophant.
For females, the best choices were the Empress, Strength, Justice, and Judgment. The Empress was basically the easiest of the designs, so since I had the least time to sew, that's the one I picked. The other two ladies picked the ones they liked the best -- Strength and Justice.
When we decided to expand the idea to put it in the context of a "reading," our main goal was simply to make the presentation more interesting and more intelligeable. It was the idea of the additional folks who stepped forward to help to base the gypsy costumes on actually gypsy-themed tarot cards -- if there were any such decks. Fortunately, the Romani deck was perfect for that purpose. The lady who performed the part of the "reader" selected her costume based both on "recognizability" (as a gypsy "reader," albeit a bit of a stereotypical one) and appeal. The men's costumes were based on simplicity -- they were both thrown together quite quickly, except for the red vest on the male "gypsy assistant" who unveiled the cards. The vest actually had some lovely hand-sewn details that weren't really even apparent from stage. (The other male, in the gray/black outfit, was the "querent.") Also, we didn't want to make the gypsy outfits too spectacular, as we didn't want them to compete with or overshadow the primary presentation costumes, which were the Londa card outfits.
And there you have it! Personally, I wouldn't mind expanding this ensemble if there were others 'round these parts who wanted to tackle some of the other possibilities, and subsequently presenting it at another competition sometime. I'd especially like to see the "Magician" outfit done -- that was actually my personal favorite from among the men's outfits.
-- Jeannette
http://www.tarotgarden.com
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| Phoenix |
13 Oct 2002 |
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Wow Jeanette!! Those costumes are great! The must have taken a long time to do!
I am glad you chose to use the Londa Tarot! That is one of my favorite decks!
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| Jeannette |
13 Oct 2002 |
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Originally posted by fairyhedgehog
I must admit, I'm now intrigued as to what you look like 'in real life' Jeannette. Any chance of a picture of you to compare?
Here's a picture that was taken the night before the competition:
http://www.tarotgarden.com/special/jeannettemandi.gif
The lady to my left (right-hand side, in the picture) is my friend Mandi Arthur, who wore the "Strength" costume. The guy in the middle is just some "deadbeat" we picked up at a party. :D I've set closeups of our faces in the costume makeup to the left and right, so you can see how we compare.
(The makeup, BTW, was done by our friend Lynda Sherman, who has a strong theater background and does particularly amazing makeup work.)
(And yes, those are reproductions of the R-W cards on the tie that I'm wearing.}
-- Jeannette
http://www.tarotgarden.com
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| Jeannette |
13 Oct 2002 |
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Originally posted by amyel
Wow! I just thinking today about Halloween and wondering if I should go as a Tarot card...your costumes have inspired me!
There are any number of tarot decks which, IMHO, make for wonderful source materials for costumes. The result wouldn't even have to be a "tarot card" per se -- the gypsy characters in our presentation being a perfect example of using the cards as a "starting point," without actually intending them to be cards themselves.
Another deck that presents some very interesting costume possibilities is the German Zukunfts tarot -- for example, look at the "Temperance" and "Queen of Wands" cards in the sample scans.
-- Jeannette
http://www.tarotgarden.com
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| Jeannette |
13 Oct 2002 |
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Originally posted by Marion
So, :D are you going to pass out candy in those costumes?
My primary "social group" consists of a lot of talented costume-makers, and it's become sort of a tradition for us to put together something (or use a past competition costume ensemble) and go "bar hopping" around these parts during the weekend when the local bars all offer cash prizes for the best Halloween costumes. With their experience at the competition level, it isn't very difficult for them to usually nab a few $$$ in those contests.
But we decided that these costumes simply wouldn't work for the bar-hopping gig this year. Quite frankly, we just don't figure that most people will "get it." When you venture out into what we call the "mundane" circles, you have to pretty much stick with something that's familiar and comfortable for most people. And unfortunately, tarot cards just don't really fall into that category.
As for wearing them when passing out candy -- we live on a remote corner of our street, and are lucky to get even six kids per year knocking at our door. Hardly worth the effort of putting on those outfits and all that makeup!
-- Jeannette
http://www.tarotgarden.com
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| Jeannette |
13 Oct 2002 |
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Originally posted by Thirteen
Oh, and I think you SHOULD use the Hierophant costume for halloween--and take pictures if you do!
Originally posted by Pollux
I'll see what I can do - you know how much I prefer lovers rather than hierophant...
...And in the Londa Tarot, the Lovers are as nekkid as jaybirds (if I may be permitted a local colloquialism)...
...In my plan there's also an Hermes costume. Let's say that I was inspired by the Mercury card in the Mantegna deck, to keep it tarotical... ;) *LOL*
That sounds interesting! BTW, if anyone does make a tarot card costume, or a costume based on or inspired by an existing tarot, I'd love it if you'd send me a picture -- with permission to post it on the Tarot Garden website. It would be very cool to get a whole gallery of tarot costumes displayed. :D
Speaking of which, if anyone hasn't seen the "collage" of pictures from the evening dinner and masquerade from this year's ITS conference, I've got a bunch of pix posted in the Tarot Garden Library at:
http://www.tarotgarden.com/library/misc/itsbanquet.html
-- Jeannette
http://www.tarotgarden.com
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| Jeannette |
13 Oct 2002 |
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Originally posted by Sinta
They would be perfect for some LA Rp! (Live Action Role Playing). How long did it take you to make them?
The costumes, props, and presentation staging required the efforts of about a dozen people, with initial work starting about 10 months before the competition.
As to using the costumes for a LARP -- sorry, no go. The makeup alone takes anywhere from 1 - 4 hours to put on, depending on the costume, and the construction of the costumes themselves was done strictly with stage presentation in mind. That means that in many ways, they aren't all that practical for "running around in." At the SF cons, they typcially have a separate, albeit more informal, competition called the "Hall Costume Contest." This gives folks who make costumes that are well-done and practical, but not necessarily "flashy" in the "spectacle" sense, to be recognized for their fine work.
In brief, our ensemble did not consist of hall costumes. They would be extremely difficult to maneuver in, in a LARP situation. But thanks for the wonderful compliment!
-- Jeannette
http://www.tarotgarden.com
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| Demonesse |
18 Oct 2002 |
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Utterly, utterly awesome! Love the costumes and the props...how about a picture of your husband to compare against the Hierophant? Would love the details of the prop-making; I don't suppose your staff is for sale? :D
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| Jeannette |
22 Oct 2002 |
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Demonesse:
I'm sorry to be so slow to reply to your questions. I was away on another out-of-town trip this past weekend, and have been working long hours once again to "catch up."
Originally posted by Demonesse
...how about a picture of your husband to compare against the Hierophant? Would love the details of the prop-making; I don't suppose your staff is for sale? :D
Here are the comparison pictures for my husband Les:
http://www.tarotgarden.com/special/les.gif
As you can see from the picture on the right, my husband actually has three heads. :D
(Actually, those other two "heads" are our kids, who are always quick to take advantage of a "piggyback ride" whenever offered.)
What my husband actually does have -- or did have, rather -- is a mustache, which he actually shaved off for the presentation. He'd never shaved it off since high school, 23 years ago. And I've known him for 21 years, so you know it had to be a weird experience for me to see him without one!
The sceptre isn't for sale -- sorry -- but here's a scan of the documentation page on its construction, as provided to the event judges:
http://www.tarotgarden.com/special/londasceptreinstructions.gif
We'll probably get the whole book up on the Tarot Garden website in .pdf format eventually, so if you find that the text is too difficult to read, let me know, and I'll step up the process of getting the pages converted over.
As a side note, the "official" photographs of the costumes were just made available; we're now in the process of deciding which ones we want to purchase. Once we get them, I'll put them on the Tarot Garden website and get them linked into our "Library" section.
Thanks again to everyone for their kind comments. What a thrill! :)
-- Jeannette
http://www.tarotgarden.com
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| VGimlet |
23 Oct 2002 |
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I'm just getting caught up here after being gone for awhile on vacation - awesome costumes and make-up!!! As a former drama person, and frustrated sewer I am in awe of all the work that went into your presentation. I'm sure it was even more amazing live and in-person, and you all certainly deserved the awards. :D
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The Tarot Costumes at Archon thread was originally posted on 12 Oct 2002 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.
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