The Tarötmaton is an immersive and interactive clairvoyance studio.
Crédits photos : Räf & Clö
Created by the artistic duo Räf and Clö, Tarötmatön is a digital clairvoyance studio offering a new interactive experience. A fusion of art, technology and magic, “Taröt 2.0” is an invitation to wonder and introspection. The artwork is part of the Art&VR Gallery’s selection for the upcoming Recto VRso festival on April 11-14, 2024.
Cartomancy meets the digital age
“Taröt 2.0” is a reinterpretation of the traditional French tarot from Marseille. Used for cartomancy, this divinatory art dating back to the 15th century is practised through the use of cards. It is intended for those who want to know their future. Raphaël Sawadogo-Mas and Chloë Saint-Denis (known as Räf & Clö) have come up with a contemporary version, combining technology, art and magic. They believe that in an increasingly connected and materialistic society, there is a quest for the invisible and the non-tangible. The artistic duo mix symbolism and aesthetics in their installations, with the aim of revealing deeper meanings and hidden messages.
Tarötmatön is a digital clairvoyance booth that replaces the fortune-teller. When they enter, participants are asked questions and have to draw their own cards. They choose them from a pile and place them one by one in a slot on an interactive table. For each card, a cinematic vignette appears on a screen in front of them. This cinematic vignette comes to life with animations, while a voice gives a symbolic description. Participants can go further by activating a talisman that provides an interpretation of the card drawn.
An immersive divinatory experience
In this contemporary version of tarot, cinematic vignettes replace the traditional allegorical illustrations. Nevertheless, the physical cards are still present in the experience. This opposition, which at first glance might seem like a contradiction, shows that the artists wanted to unite the real and the virtual.
Räf & Clö are also exploring the notion of time, offering an experience that brings together the past (the ancestral tradition of tarot) and the future (the use of contemporary technology). “The Tarötmaton acts as a bridge between these two realities,” they explain. “We invite users to use their projection skills and explore virtual time by linking it to their real-life personal experiences, highlighting the interplay of illusions between these two dimensions.” The tarot cards represent this virtual time, with thousands of possible interpretations through a symbolic language that emanates from the cine-cards. With this experience, the artistic duo are calling for introspection. Each experience is unique, with each spectator constructing his or her own feelings about the symbolic interpretations given to each card drawn.
With this immersive installation, Räf & Clö have created a new form of taromancy, combining technology and tradition, future and past, virtual and real. This immersive divinatory experience can be seen at the next edition of the Recto VRso digital art festival on April 11-14, 2024.
