Pietro Alligo, Lo Scarabeo

[Andy Kim]

I found this name in several decks from Lo Scarabeo. He is a general editor (esp. in Art Tarot category) in Lo Scarabeo. So, his name is mentioned together as author with artist.

for example : author Pietro Alligo, artworks by ~~

So my curiosity is this : Did he make all these decks? He's a true creator and the artists were just his hands (or tools)? Or, he and artists are real co-workers? Maybe, he's just a author-by-name-only?

Do you know what his role and proportion in deck producing is?

 

[RiccardoLS]

Ah ah ah

Ok, Pietro Alligo is the founder of LoScarabeo and the Art Director. Actually he sort of is THE person behind all and every deck of Lo Scarabeo.
He just put his name on decks he has given more than just the usual share of attention and contribution.

What he exatly did for a single decks, it depends on the deck. For instance the 78 Doors, or the NEw Vision were thought and written totally by him. But he doesn't like to be credited, so if the name is there it's bacause he is/was the real author.

ric

 

[RiccardoLS]

I forgot to ask.

Why the unhappy smile?

Riccardo

 

[Andy Kim]

the problem is...

Alligo's got his hands on too many decks, I'm afraid. So his decks are not all successful. Some of them are disappointing, aren't they?

His decks are non-traditional, to some degree. I expect such kinds of original tarot decks to be a coherent system, that is to say, a well-made system. Deliberately designed system of interetations and divinatory meanings.

Do they have such charicteristics?

 

[Lee]

I can't speak for the creation process of other Lo Scarabeo decks, but for my own two LS-published decks (one has been published, the other will be published in 2007), I just wanted to say that I was given complete freedom in terms of determing divinatory meanings and was not given any restrictions by Pietro or anyone else at LS.

-- Lee

 

[RiccardoLS]

It is not that easy to answer this question.
In a way, Piero IS LoScarabeo, more so than any other person or people.

Let?s get back in time, well before I entered LS. Piero was a very succesful stage magician and graphic. He worked for the foremost graphic agency in Italy and was a regular guest in national TV shows. He had, anyway, two passions: Tarot and Artwork (comic book art and illustrations).
From one day to another he quit stage magic and graphics, and founded Lo Scarabeo.
His thought was something of the like: << both in ?Magic? and in ?graphics? I will never be the number one. On Tarot... I can. >>

You will find the intervention of Piero in all LoScarabeo decks. Even on Lee?s Gay Tarot, from the decision to publish them, trough the choice of the artist and the art style, to the graphics, cardstock, backside.... His presence can be felt in many subtle little thing, but in the end they are quite important.
Again, you must understand that he works full time to Tarot.

Every now and then there are Tarot he works with a much greater involvement. Either he devises the idea, or writes the script, or collects the images... These decks, and this decks only he will sign with his name.

I can?t ? and I won?t ? speak about ?good and bad? of his decks.
I don?t think I?m qualified to be impartial (for the good and for the bad). ^_^
One thing it?s important to me, however... He is a driving force behind Lo Scarabeo.
He thinks... he has a vision... and it is thanks to him that Lo Scarabeo continues to create strange, original, innovative decks (most of them are ? you know ? low sellers).

And I think it could be interesting if there are comments and discussion about him.
I will translate them...

Best,

ric

 

[Andy Kim]

Actually, I love his decks (and yours, too!)

Well, I have 90 decks (and 36 of them are from LS.) I'm a small collector (I don't think 90 decks are enough or many.)

Many decks from LS are listed among my favorites. Tarot of the Imagination, Fey, Origin, New Vision, Gay, Witchy, Milo Manara, Millenium, etc. They are beautiful, original, creative and evocative. I get great inspiration from them.

But, some unsolved questions always remained. "Why he(the maker) made the system (esp. in minor arcana) in this way? Why 2 of sword has such meaning? ... " There's no book. The only thing I can get is the brife lists of keywords.

Yes, it's my little discontent I wanted to hear the creator's kind voice about the intention and meaning of his/her cards. Frankly, it was somewhat hard to think my own!


Thanks for your reply.

And thanks for all these beautiful decks!

 

[Cerulean]

I for one like innovation and yet there is a backbone...

...the backbone of tarot majors and minors and yet so many infinite variations.

Curiously, I look at Tarot of Reflections and see touches here and there of different decks that I like...for instance, the interesting color flashes of Revelations, but the mirroring quality of small elements (faces for instance) and refractions remind me also of the Ananda and those funny borders of the Diamond Tarot.

But again, there are different artists, so there's different interpretations--in Reflections, there's an edgy, sketchy quality similar to the Secret Forest, but the Secret Forest seems softer and more fully in a 'twilight' nature scenario and the 'screen-play' for Reflections is a twilight world that I've not seen before...

I also like when Justice is more old-fashioned, as eight, not 11, and when I see the curious ways that minors and courts are interpreted--in each deck, there's a slight twist to even 'standards' that are Marseilles/Milanese or Thothy/Rider-Waitish-Smith designs.

No 'house formula,' but the idea of a magician being in the back of the innovative graphics and curious ideas, especially one with a sense of humor (Harmonious is funny in a sweet way) is fascinating to me!

Cerulean

 

[RiccardoLS]

" There's no book. The only thing I can get is the brife lists of keywords.

Yes, it's my little discontent I wanted to hear the creator's kind voice about the intention and meaning of his/her cards. Frankly, it was somewhat hard to think my own!

Yes, this is a big problem... especially with some decks
(and I'm not saying that with a book, some things would not be disappointing anyway).

But really it is difficult to give a solution.
I would add, as this is my opinion - and widely know in LS - that many LWB are not well done.
I think that, even in such a short space an LWB should create insight with the deck, at lest offering a key, or a suggestion for approaching the deck. Most of the times, a booklet is a bunch of meaning

Ric

 

[darwinia]

One thing it?s important to me, however... He is a driving force behind Lo Scarabeo.
He thinks... he has a vision... and it is thanks to him that Lo Scarabeo continues to create strange, original, innovative decks (most of them are ? you know ? low sellers).

It's important to me too Riccardo. I continually buy these odd decks that Lo Scarabeo publish because they ARE so interesting. No one else has the same vision, it has meant a lot to my own creativity and enthusiasm in both writing and artwork to use and enjoy studying these decks.

I have experienced joy in learning from many art and history books to augment the subject of the cards, particularly the artist-based decks like the Giotto, Bosch, Leonardo da Vinci, and the new Klimt one. They have opened the world to me in many ways simply by their existence. I don't worry about how they are for reading, I work with them in many ways just to learn about a subject and add some pleasure and liveliness to my life. For me, they are a pure channel to the imagination, which is a boost to my mind and creative thought.

It's very rare for a business to take a chance, but I honestly feel that people who choose to take a chance are those that change the world and make a difference to people and culture.

I think you must be very proud to work for such a man of vision. I too am proud that such a company exists with **many** employees of vision. You all are making a positive contribution to the world, and it is appreciated and noticed.