The costume design for this project is inspired by both the original meaning of the Fool based on the oldest existing tarot deck, the “Visconti-Sforza” tarot deck, as well as the classic “Rider-Waite” that is more widely used today. The more famous Rider-Waite interpretation of the Fool depicts a young and innocent person approaching the edge of a cliff, a white dog behind him, a bundle of his earthly possessions slung across his shoulder, and holding a single white rose. This is meant to present a forthcoming life path of unbound potential and beginnings, where one is about to take the next step in their life that could either end with them flying into the air in accomplishment or falling hard from naivete. The Visconti-Sforza version, however, is slightly different. He is a person driven by base needs and urges, who has fallen into a state of poverty and deprivation. Unlike the innocent soul presented in the Rider-Waite, he represents an already-fallen humanity, over-identified with the material plane of existence, and beginning a pilgrimage toward self-knowledge and, eventually, wisdom.

Through my costume design, I intend to do an interplay with both versions of the character. I want to show the ways in which our past decisions have consequences no matter what, but that this does not mean that we can’t use the mistakes we’ve made in order to learn and progress in our lives. These things cannot simply be ignored, but instead used as a catalyst to begin one’s journey into self-discovery and personal development. This sorrowful state will be shown through the inner part of the costume, made with flesh-colored chiffon fabric that is eco-printed with fallen flowers and leaves, as well as embellished with scrap fabrics dyed and shaped to look like dead foliage. The Rider-Waite version of the character wears a fanciful dress with bright yellow and orange flowers on it, but here, that same motif is used to show that this focus on superficiality has caused the Fool’s downfall, thus the flowers have deteriorated. Layered on top of this is a white tulle dress meant to look like a modernized version of a carnival entertainer’s costume, whose sleeve and skirt shapes resemble the shape of the character’s dress in the Rider-Waite deck. This is meant to symbolize that the Fool is about to start anew and embark on a journey to self-discovery. She has made herself into a clean slate, with white being not only a symbol for innocence, but also the color whose state is heavily influenced by its surroundings. However, this dress is made of tulle, so that one can still see the decrepit underlayer, but the Fool is not hiding this. She acknowledges its existence and is happy to show that despite the pain and difficulty, she has learned from those experiences and is now more than ready to move forward. The Fool herself now embodies the white rose that is shown in the Rider-Waite version.

The film begins with Freya, the Libra archetype, looking at herself in the mirror as she is getting ready. She is wearing a headdress that resembles scales, but they are tipped to one side. Then, we see her in front of a table setting, where she is laying down a pot of tea and a plate of pastries. A guest arrives and she lets them in. She offers them some tea and then hands them a plate of sugar cookies. The guest refuses, but Freya insists. She takes one with the phrase “Please like me.” written on it and sets it in front of the guest. We see the guest for the first time. She is a statue--Bellona, the Aries archetype. Freya takes the sugar cookie and feeds it to Bellona herself. Freya smiles at her, as if to say “Good, right?” Cookie particles fly at Freya’s face--Bellona has spat it at her. Freya wipes her face, smiles awkwardly, and continues sipping her tea. The scales on her head tip further to one side. A box appears in front of Bellona, and Freya looks at it in excitement. She takes the box and peeks inside. She gets excited as she finds out that it is cherry cake. She throws the box open. The cake has the phrase “Eat Shit” written on it. Freya is slightly uncomfortable but smiles in gratitude. At least Bellona remembered that cherry cake is her favorite. She slices a piece of the cake and takes a bite. She hesitates, unsure if she likes the way it tastes. She swallows it and realizes it has an incredible aftertaste. A voice asks her, “So? What do you think?” Shocked, her mouth still full of cake, she asks, “What?” Nobody has spoken until this moment. Freya’s clothes are different, and the setting has changed. She is still seated in front of a table, but the tea party set-up has disappeared. The Libra headdress is on one side, and the piece of cherry cake is on the other. She looks around, disoriented. A man sitting across from her repeats himself, saying, “I said what do you think? Can you do this for me again?” Freya remembers what is happening and pauses, then says, “Oh...no, actually. I don’t think I will.” The man is confused, and Freya takes out a teapot. She fills one of the teacups on the headdress with tea. It is now balanced again. She looks across the table, realizes the man is still there, and dismisses him. He leaves, slightly annoyed. Freya exhales deeply. She is now wearing a pair of ram horns. She leans back on her chair, takes the cherry from the cake, and plops it in her mouth, smiling.