The Castle of Crossed Destinies
Storyline
The Ruin Whispers
Whilst the imposing structure of the Lincoln Cathedral remains in presence, the fallen Bishop’s Palace lies within its shadow, unspokenly. Underneath the hovering ghosts from the past, upon the ragged tapestry of Lincoln city, the story hides in the ruin, scabs made of limestone.
And what it whispers?
Within the giant hollow vessel, old rituals long-forgotten, time-honoured traditions faded, faith failed. Stranded strangers struggled, the psyche suffered, seeking for being educated. Embedded in the ruins of the Bishop’s Palace, the Castle of Crossed Destinies reveals this archeological site, rediscover the hidden plots, where the ritualistic performance would be displayed once again.
Introduction
The Nomadic Cathedral
Drawing inspiration from Jungian therapeutic theory and the psychedelic landscapes of Alejandro Jodorowsky's psychomagic therapy, this project embarks on an exploration of the esoteric art of cartomancy, specifically focusing on the Major Arcana of tarot cards. In my role as a tarologist, I reimagine these cards as powerful tools of divination, guiding the creative journey of a storyteller architect.
Tarot reading plays an integral role in my creative process. Each card within the tarot deck embodies archetypal symbols and universal themes, aligning with the pathways of psychic alchemy. When individuals engage with tarot cards, these fortune-telling tools transform into mirrors reflecting the depths of their subconscious, unveiling one's deepest emotions and traumas. By incorporating tarot cards as potent instruments for healing, I embark on a journey to unveil the inner unconscious, to unlock the wellsprings of creativity within my own psyche.
Within this conceptual "Nomadic Cathedral", influenced by Italo Calvino's novel The Castle of Crossed Destinies, this investigation explores the potential of tarot cards as a "machine for constructing stories" to generate architectural concepts. Through the design of a series of character-filled spaces that engage in symbolic actions and rituals, the project aims to address both viewers’ and creator’s psychological and emotional issues, weaving a narrative that transcends mere architecture.
The Tale of The Fool’s Journey
Conscious- Subconscious- Superconscious
We began to spread out the cards on the table, face up, and to give them their proper value in games, or their true meaning in the reading of fortunes. And yet none of us seemed to wish to begin playing, and still less to question the future, since we were as if drained of all future, suspended in a journey that had not ended nor was to end. There was something else we saw in those tarots, something that no longer allowed us to take our eyes from the gilded pieces of that mosaic.
–
Italo Calvino
The Fool's Journey not only stands as a pivotal narrative thread, but also records the transformative passages of my own creative process. Much like the Fool who embarks on an adventurous pilgrimage into the world of the unconsciousness, and culminate in The World card then start over again. My architectural exploration involves a reinterpretation of the Major Arcana cards. This process encompasses site exploration, program development, and conceptual design across a series of key spaces. In this Fool's Journey, I lived in the body of each character in the cards, by embracing each card's symbolism as one of facets in my inner Self, just as the imaginary users in this architecture project will do.
As the Fool,
I set out on a quest so grand,
To discover who I am, in this mystic land.
What am I?
To discover who I am, in this mystic land.
What am I?
Mysterium Encounter
Anima- Animus- Mysterium Encounter
This was something I had seen before-seen that very morning, between the flowers and the furniture, when I looked down by chance, and went on passionately staring by choice, at my own crossed legs. Those folds in the trousers - what a labyrinth of endlessly significant complexity! And the texture of the gray flannel - how rich, how deeply, mysteriously sumptuous! And here they were again, in Botticelli's picture.
— Aldous Huxley
As in all fairy tales, before finding the treasure, I met on my path dragons, sorcerers, magicians, and the Angel of Temperance.
— Niki de Saint Phalle
References
Italo Calvino. The Castle of Crossed Destinies, trans. William Weaver (London: Vintage, 1998).
Alejandro Jodorowsky. Psychomagic: The Transformative Power of Shamanic Psychotherapy, trans. Rachael LeValley (Rochester: Inner Traditions, 2010), https://esotericlibrary.weebly.com/uploads/5/0/7/7/5077636/alejandro-jodorowsky_-__psychomagic-the-transformative-power-of-shamanic-psychotherapy.pdf
Alejandro Jodorowsky and Marianne Costa. The Way of Tarot: The Spiritual Teacher in the Cards, trans. Jon E Graham (Rochester: Destiny Books, 2009).
Wouter J Hanegraaff. Western Esotericism: A Guide for the Perplexed(London: Bloomsbury, 2013).
Claude Bragdon. The Frozen Fountain: Being Essays on Architecture and the Art of Design in Space, Ed. Alfred A Knopf (New York: 1932)