Laumeier Sculpture Park asked me to create a piece to be on continuous playback in the galleries during their LOVEmeier event last year where, among other arts and attractions, there was to be a tarot reader. I asked if they could arrange a time some days before the event for me to record the tarot reader doing readings on the staff and they obliged.

Including a reading for myself, I recorded six total. In listening to the different recordings, I obviously noticed the same format to each reading, but also the same opportunities in each to both back-step and subtly guide the reading in a direction necessary to get the participant to divulge information. A couple of the readings got emotional and the interactions included very personal information. I knew that I wouldn't want to make a voyeuristic piece that relied on the personal experiences of each person, so I relied only on the tactics and phrases common to each reading. Everything of the tarot reader's voice used in this piece was said to each of the six people that had readings.

Below is a transcription of my own tarot reading:

Julia: Alright. So, Eric, you get to choose your deck.

Eric: Alright.

Julia: Okay... And, yeah, you've probably been hearing how I do it to... No?

Eric: No. I was trying to tune out.

Julia: Okay, good. Well, just shuffle until you feel they're mixed enough. Have you ever had a tarot reading?

Eric: Nope.

Julia: No? Well, tarot shows you the path that you're on, so if you see something you don't like you change what you're doing. You can't shuffle wrong. Heeha.

Eric: I can try.

Julia: Heehee. Nope, we're just getting the Eric energy in there.

Eric: Alright.

Julia: Okay. So, I will put your cards down and then I'll go back and explain what they mean. So, this is you, this covers you, this crosses you, above you, beneath you, behind you, before you, and your longer-range cards. Okay. So, the card at your core it The Moon and this is the dark side. Um, The Moon is very creative; it's positive, but there's a dark kind of positive to it. It's, uh, it's got a little bit of melancholy to it. Um, it is, uh, also somebody who, who maybe works well at night, you know, there's just that kind of dark energy around you. So, uh, over you here is the Eight Of Cups in reverse and this tells me that people who know you, who are close to you, know that there's something that was important to you that you put behind you. Um, you had invested a lot of time and energy and emotion and you finally just said, "enough," and you put it behind you, and so, um, those close to you know this. Um, you're crossed by The Ten Of Swords. This is a card of someone who, um, you're your own worst enemy; you're very very hard in yourself. Um, I've seen this in a couple of your colleagues, too. Um, you know, you, I-I-I told somebody, "you would not treat your worst enemy the way you treat yourself." Um, you know, inner messages just sort of belittling; degrading, um, and it gets in your way, um, which is what the card that crosses you does. So, um, I've been telling a story throughout: Mother Teresa said, "If you invite me to an anti-war rally, I'm not interested. If you invite me to a peace rally, I'm first in line." The idea is you want to put your energy in what you want and not what you don't want. So, when you're beating yourself up, when you're denigrating yourself, it is not serving you and you want to let that go. Okay? Um, above you here is The Seven Of Pentacles. It looks like, um, you have been working hard and you're starting to see some realization of your dreams; you're starting to get some fruit here. Uh, in your present is The World, uh; fabulous card, it is a card of self-actualization and completion, so, uh, right now thing are really happening and you are just, like, hitting milestones. Uh, so, that's very very good news. Um, recent past: King Of Cups. Uh, this may be you or it may be a man close to you, like a father or a boss. I'm thinking, if it's a man close to you, he is, um, probably a family member; probably father 'cause, um, The King Of Cups is the loving king and, um, I'm just seeing this energy of a, of a positive loving man, so, uh, either you were in that phase yourself in the recent past or someone has been very positive and loving toward you; a man.

Eric: Mm hmm.

Julia: Um, so, in your next six months: The Hierophant in reverse. It looks like you are getting ready to break the rules, to do things different. Um, you are, um, maybe have been feeling confined in whatever structure you're working in and, uh, and I see you busting out of it. So, whether its, uh, just an artistic method or the structure, you know, where you are, or or your, you know, how you set up your day, something like that. You're switching tracks, you're you're changing the rules, um, and it and it's a positive thing. So, here's your next couple of years: uh, there is a child showing up and this is at the core of you. So, it's pretty much, he or she is pretty much the most important thing to you in your whole life, heehe. Um, in the environment, it seems that you're in a little bit of a back-stabbing, dog-eat-dog, cut-throat kind of situation in the environment, at least in the next couple of years. So, sorry to tell you that, tehee.

Eric: How do you mean, "in the environment?" Like, in...

Julia: Well, um, people around you.

Eric: Right.

Julia: Can't necessarily...

Eric: Not necessarily at home, just...

Julia: No, no, no. More, more like work, more like social groups...

Eric: Um hmm.

Julia: Um, you know, sort of the, you know, the environment, yeah. Your home's fine. Um, you do have a fear showing up of bad luck. It's just a fear; it's not your reality, but, you know, you're attracting, when, you know, when you put your attention on the negative you're attracting that, so...

Eric: Sure.

Julia: Try to let that go. Um, understand that we create our own luck; so much of it is just attitude. Um, your outcome is lovely. It's The Ten Of Cups, which is, um, a happy, joyful family life. So, it's just very loving and positive. Um, it looks like, overall, a really nice couple years ahead for you.

Eric: Nice.

Julia: Yeah. Do you have any questions on this? We can expand on anything if you want or we can look at a whole other question, you know...

Eric: Ummm... Wait, can we recap? Um.

Julia: Yeah, um, let's see. So, this is dreams starting to come to fruition.

Eric: Fair enough.

Julia: This was a man a man in your past; loving, helpful, or you. Um, this is you, um, kind of making a turning point and hitting a milestone; doing great. This is you breaking some rules; changing things. This is a kid or more than one kid...

Eric: Riiight.

Julia: ...but just that, so important.

Eric: Okay, I got these.

Julia: Okay.

Eric: I was trying to figure out how these... Um, can we expand upron, upon the, uh... the...

Julia: The self-cards?

Eric: The core?

Julia: Uh huh. Yeah.

Eric: Does that work?

Julia: Yeah. So, um, so, uh, around those you've got The Moon, that sort of dark side, um, which is also creative. Um, you've got The Eight Of Cups in reverse, which is, um, that walking away from something that you've put some time and energy into and you're kind of, kind of just done; kind of like, "enough," um, and then being so hard on yourself. So, what do you want to look at in here, all of them or...

Eric: Ahhh, sure, if that...

Julia: What, what's the one that draws you first?

Eric: Ahhmm...

Julia: That you most want to know?

Eric: Ahh, let's go off The Eight Of Cups.

Julia: Okay.

Eric: See, uh...

Julia: Okay, so, it's rooted in The Three Of Wands, so it looked like opportunity. You had been expecting that this would be a really good thing. I think this is around, probably around work... Seems, I don't know. With people like you, so much of your emotion and spirit is invested in the work that it's really hard to see the difference; it doesn't delineate, you're not a kind of guy who leaves it at the office, you know? Heeha.

Eric: That makes sense.

Julia: So, um, so, I'll let you make the call on some of it, but you, you saw it initially as an opportunity. Um, it's crowned in The Hermit, which is you doing it alone. Um, you, um, you're wise, you're smart, you've got the skills and the abilities. Um, we've got The Devil beside it, which is, um, often times money and just getting finances and backing it up, um, and so there's a little bit of, of maybe disgust with that, um, and we've got The Seven Of Swords, which is, um, which is more of that sort of, um, aggressive energy, um; competition. Ah, you know, in looking at it opposite The Devil I'm thinking the funds got taken away or there's just too much competive, competition with the funds and it just seems like, "ughhk... enough," and so you're sort of just, it's at least put on hold if not completely abandoned.

Eric: Mmhmm.

Julia: So, um, also you had Ten Of Swords crossing you and you had The Moon at the core of you, so what do you want to look at there?

Eric: Um... Why don't we go for The Moon?

Julia: The Moon, okay. Ohhh, so, you had a pretty hard youth and, uh, you learned some painful lessons and, uh, that's where your dark side is. You are such a strong, loving person. The strength card is; this is not brute strength. This is, um; she's taming the beast in this card through love, through her heart, her integrity, who she is, um, and this is you in this case. So, um, you know, you had a tough time; maybe were a little bit wayward for a while, really suffered, really knew some serious pain, but, um, it was not a mistake because it really made you a beautiful person and a loving, compassionate person who, um, who brings this love and this joy to your family and others, you know? Um, in a much bigger way than maybe if you'd had this cozy, easy time of it, um, and you've started a new beginning; you've created a new beginning. So, uh, you're really a strong, impressive guy. Um, Major Arcana, Major Arcana, Major Arcana, um, let's see, Major Arcana here, um, and here, too, so, um, oh, and here, also. So, you know, um, there are only twenty-two Major Arcana cards in here and you've got a boat-load of them, so, you know, you're just, uh, ah, really at a high point in your life where you're know who you are and what you do and what you're at and you're making things happen and you're effecting the lives of people around you in a really positive way.

Eric: Nice.

Julia: Yeah.

Eric: I like that.

Julia: Heehehe. Good. Anything else?

Eric: Nothing I can think of. I'm, uh, fond of how this came out.

Julia: Feel done?

Eric: Yeah.

Julia: Good, good. I like happy readings, heehehe. Excellent. Excellent.

Eric: Thanks so much.

Julia: Yeah, this has been fun.

*