Cardiff Castle of Crossed Destinies

A monk in a tower is staring at cards laid out on a table. A table aligned to the stars. He is living in a fantasy. He is probably the richest man in the world but this only brings concerns. He intends to remain the richest man in the world. Obsessively he lays out the cards again and again, reading the stories. Some he understands instantly and he makes notes of actions that will bring resolutions to his advantage; other stories puzzle him, they relate to a world in which he has little interest. This is the Castle of Crossed Destinies. Each pattern is noted in a book. 

In his 1969 novel, Italo Calvino, experimented with story telling through the use of images first and words second. Lougher inspired by this approach seeks to create a story woven through 78 images (the number of cards in a tarot deck). In the spirit of Monopoly, the game of capitalism for all the family, this is the Cardiff edition. 

The tour: Cardiff Bus of Crossed Destinies was initially prompted by paintings in the collection of the National Museum Wales; predominantly those bought by the Davies sisters, Gwendoline and Margaret. As the cards have been reshuffled some have been substituted and others palmed. This blog will follow the patterns of cards laid out in the book reputedly used by the 3rd Marquess of Bute.