Local earth
energy
This deck is the
result of several years' on and off magical engagement with the area of
South London once known as the Great North Wood. This is an area of forest
stretching from present day Peckham and Nunhead in the north to Thornton
Heath and Woodside in the south and centred on the Crystal Palace ridge.
In 1995 I developed a pathworking for audio recording, as part of a larger project of a series of pathworkings related to various parts of London. This pathworking focussed on the Wood, whereas other pathworkings would focus on the Heath (eg Hampstead, Dartford,) and the Marsh (eg Lambeth, Lee Valley). The Viewpoint trump card has a strong connection with this overview of London localities. I received much helpful advice and support from various people - thank you. (To see the text of the pathworking see the Great North Wood link above.) I put the project away as unviable, as a taped pathworking seemed a limited form with a limited audience.
In 1998 the protests on the Crystal Palace site prompted me to approach the project afresh, and create for it a concrete form which might 'store' the inspiration for future access, for example to enable storytelling, workshops and other creative projects. I began to plan and produce the deck as it now stands.
Internet vs print
The idea of placing
the deck on the internet grew during 1999, as I realised the potential
for reaching a geographically diverse audience both beyond and within the
immediate locality. I was also interested in providing free access to the
deck, as the nature of the project, drawing on inner inspiration from collective
local and magical rather than personal sources, was intended to be shared
and non-profit making.
This site provides an overview of the deck for viewing on screen. Files for downloading and printing (images, explanatory notes and exercises) can be made available depending on demand. I have not attempted to investigate full-scale print publication for the deck.
Design process
Each of the images
was drawn at a single sitting. Sometimes I had a strong prior mental picture
in mind before starting work. On other occasions I had only a position
in the deck or a vague image in mind, and something completely unexpected
emerged. In all cases, I retained the image as it developed within the
single sitting, making no subsequent changes to it on paper or digitally.
Though this gives a rough finish to many of the images - some of them would
become clearer and less clumsy by being redrawn, and my conscious mind
would like to replace some of them altogether - I felt it was important
to allow the original images to speak for themselves.