The Order of the Unknown at Space Camp
Our visit to Tarot! Renaissance Symbols, Modern Visions at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York inspired The Order of the Unknown. The exhibition traces tarot from Renaissance Italy to the work of modern artists. We left thinking about how a deck of cards can hold centuries of art, changing beliefs, and personal meaningโand how much there is to discover when you can spend time with the objects themselves.
Weโve brought that spirit of discovery to a temporary room at Space Camp. Through October 31, the collection brings together tarot and oracle decks, books, incense, and curious objects exploring the occult, paganism, surrealism, mysticism, and death studies.
The decks offer many ways into the room. You can compare a 1650 Tarot de Viรฉville facsimile with editions of the RiderโWaiteโSmith tarot, then see what happens when an artist takes the cards somewhere entirely new in the Dalรญ Tarot. Alongside them are oracle decks that invite different kinds of reflection and play.
The books make room to go deeper. Owen Daviesโs Art of the Grimoire explores the history of magic books and spells, while Joanna Ebensteinโs Death: A Graveside Companion approaches death through art and culture. There are works on symbols, ritual, and esoteric traditions, as well as smaller pleasures to take home, including Blackbirdโs Death incense.
Weโve chosen this collection for people who practice or study these subjects and for people meeting them for the first time. Open a book. Look closely at a card. Ask us a question, or tell us something we should know. We hope to be both teachers and students here.
The Order of the Unknown is at Space Camp through October 31.
