@ -55,6 +55,8 @@ Smith, J.Z. (1980).* "The Bare Facts of Ritual"*. History of Religions, 20(1/2),
S.O.*et al.*(2022)*The legend of the guatemalan worry doll,Common Hope*. Available at:https://www.commonhope.org/the-legend-of-the-guatemalan-worry-doll/ (Accessed: March 22, 2023).
<brclass="page-break">
The British Museum. (n.d.).*print; satirical print; broadside; British Museum*. [online] Available at:<https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1973-U-216>[Accessed 22 Mar. 2023].
theschooloflife.com. (n.d.).*Aristotle - The School Of Life*. [online] Available at:<https://www.theschooloflife.com/article/the-great-philosophers-aristotle/>.
Unless otherwise stated, all photography, illustrations and other types of visualisations in this publication are created by the same authors as the text. That which is below is like that which is above, and that which is above is like that which is below, to do the miracle of one only thing.
@ -14,9 +16,8 @@ This book was created with the help of a collection of not-so-small and extremel
Just lil old us.
### Typeface
Work Sans by Wei Huang.
Consolation by us.
Immajer Simlish by inkandchaos
Consolation by us (available under the SIXX licence).
Immajer Simlish by inkandchaos (licence information unknown).
Work Sans by Wei Huang (available under SIL OFL).
That which I have said of the operation of the Sun is accomplished and ended.
## We are looking at rituals and their overlap with video games as a way to explore “forbidden” or otherwise lost knowledge erased by oppressive systems.
@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ Here is an excerpt from a song which portrays women in a tavern. These words on
It was in this context that "gossip" turned from a word of friendship and affection into a word of denigration and ridicule (Federici, 2019).
**So what does coffee have to do with it?**
### So what does coffee have to do with it
Fortune telling over coffee stretches back to the 16th century, when the beans made it to the Middle East and the Ottoman Empire. In the Ottoman Empire, concubines in the Harem were banned from talking and "gossiping". They had a great influence on sultans (although not officially recognized by men themselves), and therefore affected the political decisions and affairs of the Empire. Out of solidarity, women began to perform fortune-telling over the remains of coffee inside and outside coffee cups. This way, they could talk about their fears and inner
# An hypothesised and randomly factual History of Tarot Cards
What follows is the story of a deck of cards and all the more-or-less believable claims made about its origin. This brief history was compiled following sources that attempted accurate historic recalling instead ofthemost commonly shared semiotic, occultist story. However,despite all efforts, the found sources tolda convoluted tale due to the misinterpretation of age, sources and authorship common to any ancient texts on magic and mysticism (Dummett, 1993).As such, the following text will recall the disproven stories that were told about the origin of Tarot, some factual sourced material and a modern description of its usage.
What follows is the story of a deck of cards and all the more-or-less believable claims made about its origin. This brief history was compiled following sources that attempted accurate historic recalling instead ofthemost commonly shared semiotic, occultist story. However,<br>despite all efforts, the found sources tolda convoluted tale due to the misinterpretation of age, sources and authorship common to any ancient texts on magic and mysticism (Dummett, 1993).As such, the following text will recall the disproven stories that were told about the origin of Tarot, some factual sourced material and a modern description of its usage.
When we talk about Tarot cards, we are talking about a deck of playing cards composed of ten numeral cards and four court cards (Jack, Knight, Queen and King) for each of the four suits (Swords, Batons, Cups and Coins). Alongside these more common cards, Tarot includes 22 'trump' cards with allegorical illustrations. The trumps form a sequence, usually numbered from 1 to 21, with the single card of The Fool being separated (Decker, Depaulis & Dummett, 1996).
## 'Crystals & Energy' is a holographic oracle deck exploring a range of energy sources through the nature of crystals and minerals as energy-storing matter.
Lídia and Artemis, Special Issue 20 guest editors, asked us to modify an oracle deck of our choice. We, Cara and Boyana, prototyped a holographic oracle deck where a type of crystal is coupled with a type of energy resource in a single card in an attempt to talk about the global energy crisis we are facing today. It was important to us to provide multiple perspectives not only on how energy is used but where and under what conditions it is sourced. We attempted this by using crystals sourced in particular areas to provide a specific insight and perspective onto a facet of the global energy ecosystem. In practice, our deck provides an educational experience through the use of a DIY prism and complimentary audiovisual materials, which serve to create an immersive learning environment.
After a quick research, we decided to couple Aquamarine and Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) which we thought would fit nicely as a first example of such a card.
After some quick research, we decided to couple Aquamarine and Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) which we thought would fit nicely as a first example of such a card.
***Why Aquamarine?***
It looks like water that has been crystallised; stored energy; compression; solidified; put under pressure, or exposed to a specific temperature so that it changes its state (from liquid to solid).
@ -18,7 +20,7 @@ It is natural gas that has been liquified; compressed; liquified; put under pres
Next, we wrote a short poem weaving these two elements into an everyday narrative. Later, this poem served as a script to create a voice narration (a one-minute-long audio piece) that went into the video creation process. Although the final text deviates slightly from our initial idea, we felt the change was appropriate, as it was inspired by a conversation we had with our tutor, Steve, earlier that day. He talked about his childhood memories of collecting rocks in notebooks, perhaps similar to what geologists do when documenting their discoveries. He also mentioned a few things about caverns and a mine (which later turned into a museum) located near the city in which he used to live.
Next, we wrote a short poem weaving these two elements into an everyday narrative. Later, this poem served as a script to create a voice narration (a one-minute-long audio piece) that went into the video creation process. Although the final text deviates slightly from our initial
:::::{.full-image}
@ -26,11 +28,18 @@ Next, we wrote a short poem weaving these two elements into an everyday narrativ
:::::
idea, we felt the change was appropriate, as it was inspired by a conversation we had with our tutor, Steve, earlier that day. He talked about his childhood memories of collecting rocks in notebooks, perhaps similar to what geologists do when documenting their discoveries. He also mentioned a few things about caverns and a mine (which later turned into a museum) located near the city in which he used to live.
To visualise the card, we used a hologram video-maker app. The process was fun and easy. All we had to do was simply find a high-resolution image of the Aquamarine crystal on a black surface and upload it into the app. Lastly, we made a model of a pyramid prism so that we could demonstrate the prototype fully. To get the full holographic effect, we had to put it on top of a phone screen and play the video, which we uploaded on YouTube and embedded as a link onto our Special Issue's website.
We saw in this prototype a potential to provide new knowledge, to create an engaging learning experience around energy sources, and also to provide a bit of wonder and immersion into a discourse that can often feel dense. By combining these different elements, we were hoping to create an unusual experience that can help people better understand and appreciate the importance of energy sources and sustainability. It will be interesting to see how our prototype evolves and impacts people's perceptions of these topics.
@ -12,8 +12,10 @@ This timeline (based on Wikipedia's [Timeline of the Far Future](https://en.wiki
This web-based game attempts to highlight the uselessness of this approach. Sometimes a human can have no effect on the extreme truth that science offers, or to put it more usefully, sometimes, science has nothing to offer humans. This timeline uses scientific and objective distance to avoid the most inevitable and obvious event in the future: your own death. Death is non-relational: no one can die in one's place, and we cannot understand our own death through the death of others (Heidegger, Being and Time, 1962). Just like the scientist, the philosopher doesn't have much to offer solace here. So where do we go to talk about death?
@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ Alternatively, and if applicable, you may choose one card and place it on your a
### ✧ How to Lay Out the Cards
One Card Spread
#### One Card Spread
A single card can be used for several purposes:
@ -60,7 +60,9 @@ A single card can be used for several purposes:
- Draw a card after you ask a question. The one you pick is your answer.
- Draw a card to help further explain your dream.
Three-Card Spread
<br><br>
#### Three-Card Spread
A three-card spread can also be used in several different ways:
@ -70,7 +72,11 @@ A three-card spread can also be used in several different ways:
If you want to arrive at a more fleshed-out narrative, you may choose to do a bigger spread. Information about those can be found in any book about tarot or online.
In The Sims™ 4, some values are certainly given by the game; make money to buy nicer things, progress in your career by doing tasks that improve your skills, and charisma is a skill but not kindness. But also ideology is put into the game by the player. The player chooses what to reproduce and often shares in the "gallery" or on social media. In contrast with what has been said by game design theorists in the past (Aarseth, 2004), the narrative power and "richness of character" of a game like The Sims™ 4 lies precisely in the freedom left open to the players. "The positive potential of authorship" comes precisely from the malleability and user control once you see that the player is the author. Community being so important in this game then means that the crux of social reproduction is happening when the choices you have made in the game are broadcasted. Did you create a heteronormative white thin nuclear family that made a lot of money? Or did you choose to play differently?
@ -25,7 +23,11 @@ See the SIXX Licensefor more details. You should have received a copy of the S
### XPUB
XPUB is the Master of Arts in Fine Art and Design: Experimental Publishing of the Piet Zwart Institute. XPUB focuses on the acts of making things public and creating publics in the age of post-digital networks. Find out more at xpub.nl
XPUB is the Master of Arts in Fine Art and Design: Experimental Publishing of the Piet Zwart Institute. XPUB focuses on the acts of making things public and creating publics in the age of post-digital networks. More at xpub.nl
###   /XX
This publication took labour to produce, so exists in a limited edition. Separate thou the earth from the fire, the subtle from the gross sweetly with great industry.
###### CONSOLE
@ -36,7 +38,7 @@ XPUB is the Master of Arts in Fine Art and Design: Experimental Publishing of th
Console is an oracle; an emotional First Aid Kit that helps you help yourself. Console invites you to open the box and discover ways of healing. Console provides shelter for your dreams, memories and worries. Face the past and encounter your fortune. Console gives you a new vantage point; a set of rituals and practices that help you cope and care. Console asks everyday questions that give magical answers. Are you ready to play?
My text-adventure game was (first and foremost a struggle and) an attempt to dive a little bit into the world of python and deal peacefully with the potential trauma of coding. The first unsuccessful try started by making a map on paper with all the possible rooms, corridors, spaces and the potential inputs of the player. It proved to be a too-ambitious plan though. So this was the time when the super(de)construction game was born! I intended to make a fan fiction text adventure game(!) of the Marxist superstructure theory. There are three basic rooms where the player can navigate: the Base-ment, the Apparatus and the Megaroom. People can grab specific \“objects\” from each room and check their inventory (for example you can have unpaidlabour, church, mostlywhitemen from base-ment, apparatus and megaroom respectively in the same bag!). The game aims to accumulate enough points in order to bring eventually the revolution and win. The fermentation and the radicalization happen only in the base-ment.
My text-adventure game was (first and foremost a struggle and) an attempt to dive a little bit into the world of python and deal peacefully with the potential trauma of coding. The first unsuccessful try started by making a map on paper with all the possible rooms, corridors, spaces and the potential inputs of the player. It proved to be a too-ambitious plan though. So this was the time when the super(de)construction game was born! I intended to make a fan fiction text adventure game(!) of the Marxist superstructure theory. There are three basic rooms where the player can navigate: the Base-ment, the Apparatus and the Megaroom. People can grab specific “objects” from each room and check their inventory (for example you can have unpaidlabour, church, mostlywhitemen from base-ment, apparatus and megaroom respectively in the same bag!). The game aims to accumulate enough points in order to bring eventually the revolution and win. The fermentation and the radicalization happen only in the base-ment.
‘Welcome to the super(de)costruction game or How to destroy the ideological apparatus and capitalism in small steps.
You are a witch in the body of a cultural worker leaving in the poor south. However, you cannot make a living only by selling your labor power so you have to use your magic powers to maintain yourself. You can become invisible in order to expropriate goods from chain supermarkets and share them with your comrades and girlfriends. That’s okay! Inflation ...
You will have an extraordinary chance to walk a lead bit through an enormous architectural miracle and why not dismantle the master's house!
Are you readyyy???
""")
start = False
if (graduation == True):
printer("You Win!")
exit()
# Clearing the screen: "cls" for Windows; "clear" for macOS
i = input()
#os.system("cls")
spliti = i.split(" ")
# Creating an inventory
if "inventory" in i:
printer("The truth is that you don't own anything. You are proletarian. You don't really have private property. However, in you current inventory you can find " + ", ".join(inventory))
if i in ["talk","discuss","debate","ask","say"]:
printer("Hiiiiiii witch, how can I help you, now that nobody is watching us?")
i = input()
if i in ["revolution","finish","free", "freedom"]:
if study >= 119:
printer("You did so many things! You struggle a lot, you care, you respect! You are a true witch fighter! Revolution is in the corner.")
graduation = True
else:
printer("We should keep the hard work. Do not give up though. Things do change and your contribution is valuable! You have gained " + str(study) + " points. Shall we go again to the base-ment? We have to organise stuff! Please don't give up. Here is something small for you!")
printer("""
For it is not the anger of Black Women which is dripping down over this globe like a diseased liquid. It is not my anger that launches rockets, spent more than 60,000 dolars second on missiles and other agents of war and death, slaughters children in cities, stockpiles nerve gas and chemical bombs, sodomizes our daughters and the earth. This is not the anger of Black Women which corrodes into blind, dehumanising power, bent upon the annihilation of us all unless we meet it with what we have, our power to examine and to redefine the terms upon which we will live and work; our power to envision and to reconstruct, anger by painful anger, stone upon heavy stone, a future of pollinating difference and the earth to support our choices.
We welcome all women who can meet us, face to face, beyond objectification and beyond guilt.
by Audre Lorde
""")
# Choices in the base-ment
if currentRoom == "base-ment":
if i in ["look","see","view","explore"]:
printer("Oh I'm in an base-ment, cool. There is little light here. Soooo many people. TheY do work hard. The seem unhappy and dipressed")
printer("You can find here: " + ", ".join(items["base-ment"]))
elif i in ["exit","walk","run","door","leave"]:
printer("You can use this tiny door to exit the base-ment. To be completely honest, you cannot escape that easily the base-ment. You wish you could. It can be really suffocating. However you are a witch, you have class consiousness and you have your caring comrades. So now let's move. ")
currentRoom = "apparatus"
# The ECTS condition, or the point-gaining system. Every "study" adds 30 points to the player's score. The goal is to reach 120 points or credits.
printer("The revolution seems to be closer. Cracks still happen and are completely important and vital and powerful. You have gained " + str(study) + " points")
else:
taker("base-ment")
# Choices in the neutral zone
elif currentRoom == "apparatus":
if i in ["look","see","view","explore", "open"]:
printer("Vrooom, vroom, vroom. You are now in the apparatus room! What a contradictory place to be. A wise-structured organised chaos ... Monumental huge buildings, computers, archives, cameras, people in uniforms, banks campus and other big buildings, and borders. Where is the public, though? If you see a little bit closer, it is not that solid.")
printer("Oh look in the apparatus you can find: " + ", ".join(items["apparatus"]))
elif i in ["exit","walk","run","door","leave"]:
printer("You may use this door to exit the apparatus.")
i = input("which door? (1 or 2)")
if i == "1":
printer("You use the door to the base-ment")
currentRoom = "base-ment"
elif i == "2":
printer("You use the door to the megaroom")
currentRoom = "megaroom"
else:
taker("apparatus")
# Choices in the megaroom
elif currentRoom == "megaroom":
if i in ["look","see","view","explore", "open"]:
printer("Oh You are in the megaroom! You can tell that it is luxurious, monumental structure classical and contemporary in the same time. You haven’t seen something similar before! Wowww. But why are so little people? Why the are mostly white men? Don’t be stressed - they will not notice you! You enter the mansion as a cleaning lady. You are invisible to them. However, YOU know how radical our marginal identities are! ")
printer("Oh look in the megaroom! There is : " + ", ".join(items["megaroom"]))
## Death, Geometry and the Structure of theIndividual
## Death, Geometry and the Structure of the Individual
Tetris is a game where a single player is encouraged to organise the chaos given to them from above, a limited space for play of ten by twenty units leads to a limited ability to approach the perfection implied by the simple shapes that are encountered in the world (always a collection of four squares, in their seven permutations). The harnesses of time and gravity make perfection impossible in this world; instead, the player can only attempt, approach, and increase their efficiency. A life's function approaching the limit, there is no way to win, only to get higher and higher scores, to live as long as possible through increased throughput. Death is inevitable in Tetris, and each passing block seems to come faster than the last. Why does it feel like everything just keeps getting harder?
@ -14,15 +14,19 @@ There are many squares to be organised in Tetris, an infinite number apparently,
This fanfic takes the form of a series of hand-drawn illustrations depicting fantastical Tetris pieces, each of which is accompanied with a fragment of a story. The cards can be read and arranged in any order, intentionally removing the linear and framed limits of the original Tetris, although the illustration and text on any one card have some sort of relationship with each other.
"Welcome, my dear! This exercise is all about healing, about reconnecting with what is essential and authentic within yourself. By understanding the true nature of our suffering, we can evoke compassion for ourselves as we move through uncomfortable feelings on the path to healing and peace.
Welcome, my dear! This exercise is all about healing, about reconnecting with what is essential and authentic within yourself. By understanding the true nature of our suffering, we can evoke compassion for ourselves as we move through uncomfortable feelings on the path to healing and peace. Before you begin, there are a few things you will need. Firstly, have a strong intention to commit to this exercise for some time. Secondly, find a quiet room free of distractions, and finally, get a notebook and pen. Handwriting will engage your mind more actively and profoundly, help you connect with yourself, and enable the tracing of your progress over time.
Before you begin, there are a few things you will need. Firstly, have a strong intention to commit to this exercise for some time. Secondly, find a quiet room free of distractions, and finally, get a notebook and pen. Handwriting will engage your mind more actively and profoundly, help you connect with yourself, and enable the tracing of your progress over time.
I will be guiding you through a series of carefully selected questions written by different authors, some are well-known, and others will remain unknown. To begin the exercise, spin the Wheel of Fortune located at issue.xpub.nl/20/wheel. After a few seconds, a question will appear on the screen. Then, take a photo slide from the deck and hold it to the screen. Think about that question by looking at it and the tiny film together like friends. If you feel like writing your thoughts, you can use the tiny notepad made just for you.
These photo slides are there to help you dive deeper into your inner world. Use them to explore moments in your life that you may not have fully processed or understood. As you reflect on these images and answer the questions, you may gain new insights and perspectives about yourself and your life.
I will be guiding you through a series of carefully selected questions written by different authors, some are well-known, and others will remain unknown. To begin the exercise, spin the Wheel of Fortune located at issue.xpub.nl/20/wheel. After a few seconds, a question will appear on the screen. Then, take a photo slide from the deck and hold it to the screen. Think about that question by looking at it and the tiny film together like friends. If you feel like writing your thoughts, you can use the tiny notepad made just for you. These photo slides are there to help you dive deeper into your inner world. Use them to explore moments in your life that you may not have fully processed or understood. As you reflect on these images and answer the questions, you may gain new insights and perspectives about yourself and your life.
The question for me (Irmak) at the beginning was why people feel the need to know the future or their oracles that they go on YouTube and subscribe to a channel there. Knowing the future made me anxious when for many people it is something to look forward to or head towards. For Ada, the answer to that question was simple. Everyone needs some clarity and a sense of belonging and safety, and it's better and easier to believe when told by someone else. The problem we were facing was then about, how can a performance so intimate and personal be transferred online for thousands to see. Doesn’t that strip the whole act of the tarot reading of its authenticity or specificity to you? Once you have someone read your tarot online, you are exposed to advertisement and capitalism in a very ironic sense. The sole reason you are there is to have a peaceful and perhaps sentimental moment with yourself, however, you are interrupted by unintended messages.
The question for me (Irmak) at the beginning was why people feel the need to know the future or their oracles that they go on YouTube and subscribe to a channel there. Knowing the future made me anxious when for many people it is something to look forward to or head towards. For Ada, the answer to that question was simple. Everyone needs some clarity and a sense of belonging and safety, and it's better and easier to believe when told by someone else. The problem we were facing was then about, how can a performance so intimate and personal be transferred online for thousands to see. Doesn’t that strip the whole act of the tarot reading of its authenticity or specificity to you? Once you have someone read your tarot online, you are exposed to advertisement and capitalism
in a very ironic sense. The sole reason you are there is to have a peaceful and perhaps sentimental moment with yourself, however, you are interrupted by unintended messages.
Moving from these discussions, we searched for the answers in the comments below certain tarot videos. Many commenters mentioned how their life changed after the reading, how their luck came back and their work life improved, or how the reading helped them get their life straight. This was a community that needed tarot and used it as a remedy. In the end, we decided to use some of these comments as the interpretation of some cards. The main themes in the comments were luck, love and work. We picked three comments for each theme and made tarot cards for them with a divination board. We modified the illustrations on existing tarot cards and renamed them according to the commenters’ names.
The divination board:
<brclass="page-break">
:::::{.small-images}
@ -24,22 +28,27 @@ The divination board:
:::::
:::::{.centered-image}
Part of the dictionary of YouTube Tarot cards:
:::::
## A Selection from the dictionary of YouTube Tarot cards
Stephen Kerr
1 year ago
