Blake Condolora isn’t afraid to show his cards. In fact, he welcomes it, fanning them out on the table in front of him.

Images of oak, yew and gorse trees cover the table, each representing a different divination or aspect of Celtic culture. This set of tarot cards is more than just a side project for Condolora — the art photography senior has used the project to drive his studies and pursue his passion at Syracuse University.

“I was looking for a project, and I saw other photographic tarot cards, and I thought to myself: I can do that, and I can do it better,” he said. “So I made it my goal.”

Condolora recently released a book titled “The Grove: A Celtic Divination Tool & Ogham Set” that contains his photographs and comes with tarot cards, too. It focuses on the Celtic spiritual guide to nature — specifically, trees.

Condolora first got into photography in high school when he took a basic black-and-white photography course. His mother bought him a camera and his passion grew from there, shooting wherever and whenever he could.

Struggling with stress and anxiety, Condolora found photography was a good way to express his thoughts and ideas. As time went on, Condolora developed a stronger sense of “earth-based” spirituality and looked for ways to convey that in his work.

He said he discovered different divination systems and hoped to create “pictures so people could understand what they were.”

“There was always this little whisper in my ear saying that was how I identified with the world,” he said.

 

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Condolora added that he wanted to educate people about traditions like these, ones that he often saw misrepresented in the media.

To prepare for this project, Condolora did his research. He traveled around the Syracuse area, photographing different tree species in upstate New York that also had a significance in Celtic culture. He said the Celts viewed trees as sacred.

He studied hundreds of species of trees — he jokes he can identify more types of trees on campus than his friends at SUNY-ESF can. He also said he used Ancestry.com to identify his cultural background: Italian, Nordic and Celtic.

“I dealt with a lot of people accusing me of cultural appropriation when I first started,” he said. “And I found out specifically what my ancestors were, and now I will only work specifically within the realms of what my ancestry is.”

When he showed his professors, Condolora said they had “no idea” about the cultural context of the photos. While the photos themselves are high-quality, their place in Celtic culture is what makes them stand out.

These photographs would be used to create tarot cards, a set of playing cards that can also be used to gain insight or connect with the supernatural. Each set of cards comes with a book, written by Condolora, that denotes each card’s symbolism in the Nordic or Celtic culture.

Condolora decided to self-publish the set of cards and the corresponding book online. So far, he has sold 50 copies.

But he didn’t do it for the money. He said he published the books because he felt there was a need.

“I wanted to bring (my) ancestors’ culture to the forefront,” he said. “The money was just an extra bonus.”

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John Harris, a jewelry and fashion designer, supervised Condolora throughout an internship while he was studying at Onondaga Community College. Harris said he helped Condolora along the way with direction, especially when it came to publishing the finished product.

“I pushed him early on saying, ‘Make sure you’re asking the right questions internally,’” Harris said. “If you are depicting cultural concepts and motifs, and you want to make sure you are depicting accurately. And that was something he took very seriously.”

Condolora completed his second set of cards and book last month, these ones celebrating the Nordic culture. While the Celtic cards were more nature-based, the Nordic cards are more “hearth and home” based. He plans to start selling the book in the next couple of weeks.

Many of these photos include models donned in Nordic costumes. Condolora’s friend Katie McLaughlin modeled a couple of times for him, and said the project was “really interesting” — especially, she added, as books related to Nordic culture have “become more mainstream.”

“He’s willing to work with really anyone,” she said. “You definitely get some weird looks in the outfits, though. No one really tries to mess with you when you are walking around with a sword or a bow and arrow.”

Condolora continues to look ahead toward future projects. Outside of photography, he plays in a band and is planning to write a book of fanfiction. His other pastimes include crystal collecting, woodworking and reading: John Green books are his guilty favorite.

With everything he plans to do, he hopes his spirituality will shine through his work. He said he hopes he can one day make his spiritual beliefs a main source of earning money.

“I really just want to tell my ancestors’ story, so our stories are never forgotten,” he said. “A lot of stories are told orally, and through my own means I am trying to retell the stories. If I don’t do it, I don’t think anyone else will.”

Published on March 6, 2018 at 9:12 pm

Contact Hanna: hrhorvat@syr.edu