1 Beginning Z
"Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now." Goethe
KEY WORDS
Embark
Lead
Manifest
Spark
Go
Emerge
VIDEO
MEANING
Every moment has the potential to spark a new adventure if we will let it. A beginning is the ending of what went before, a first step in a new direction. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Invest in your education and in the construction of vessels that will take you to new horizons. Put the work into your relationships today so you can weather any storm tomorrow. Embrace beginner's luck.
Be very careful of what you are leaving behind. Not everything has to be left behind, maybe you should think about what you want to leave, are you fully appreciating something you are leaving behind? Prepare properly and do not put out to see unless everything is "shipshape". Beware also of starting too many things at once- beginnings must be balanced by endings. Are you trying to make yourself too busy to avoid facing something?
OBJECTS
Fish (Water) To catch a fish, you must first think like a fish. To begin right, you must first know your destination.
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Anchor (Water) What is stopping you from beginning? Will you be able to stop if you begin?
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Cloud (Water) You may have to begin before you feel ready. Don't let a cloud on the horizon delay your beginning.
Bottle (Water) Once the bottle is opened, there's no going back. This is a point of no return.
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Cup (Water) It's essential to start with the right attitude - do you see your cup as full or empty?
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Match (Fire) Do not light your match until you have gathered enough firewood.
THE MAGIC SEAL
THE ART
Beginning is a card about starting a new adventure... and which adventure can be more exciting than exploring the Seven Seas? I depicted a transatlantic ocean liner in the moment of its Christening, ready to start its maiden voyage! The Ship is still in the dry dock, ready to touch water for the first time, towering with its impressive size over everyone and everything. It is a joyful moment, and the night sky is dotted with bright stars, everyone is excited and ready for the new endeavour!
The card is an homage to one of my favourite films: Amarcord by Federico Fellini. I wanted to celebrate the iconic scene where the Rex appear in the middle of the night. It was a majestic ocean liner, winner of the prestigious Blue Ribbon. An elegant and classy ship, in perfect Italian style! As Fellini would have said: e la nave va... (..and the ship goes...)
AUGMENTED REALITY
The Ocean Liner is ready, the christening celebration is over and the majestic ship goes to embrace the sea waves for the first time! The animation takes a surreal twist: from floating on the surface of the ocean we go down in the obscure depts with strange fish swimming in a most peculiar way. The video is like a game of free association: ocean liner, ocean, DNA! The ocean is the place where life began, deep down beneath its rolling waves, starting from a little mono-cellular being and its DNA sequence...
THE MUSE
We knew that for Beginning we wanted to collaborate with an artist whose energy, and style, and aura light-up the stage from the very first moment that they appear. The legendary Miss Betsy Rose is all of those things and so much more.
Burlesque is an art form of powerful anticipation which puts the performer in full control of each moment. Miss Betsy Rose's glamour and grace transports us to a golden era when boarding an opulent ocean liner for foreign shores was an especially grand adventure. Miss Betsy Rose's performances are so bewitching that we are instantly swept into her story and seduced into an adventure to places we've previously only dreamed of. We are also deeply honoured that Miss Betsy Rose's iconic canine companion Miss Freida agreed to star in Oracolarium. Friendship and loyalty are so precious and it's entirely appropriate that Miss Freida reminds us of these values at the very start of our expedition. We all value the support of friends who encourage us to follow our dreams. Miss Betsy Rose regularly travels the world as a performer and model, and brings a star quality to this card, emphasising the importance of starting as we mean to go on: with style and panache!
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Visit Miss Betsy Rose's world here: www.MissBetsyRose.com
THE MUSIC
A steady insistent pulse hammers the rivets into the hull of the ocean liner. Industrious percussion echoes around us in the dockyard. Harmonically we are constantly taking that very first bold step from a comfortable home chord to an unknown and brighter place of higher tension and greater possibilities. Excitement grows as the new layers of are added and questions are quietly asked in softly-spoken synth strings visiting from The Void, and percussion from around the world invites us on an adventure.
LINKS TO GO DEEPER
Click here to see a clip from the movie Amarcord by Federico Fellini