Arcanum 17

A video piece based on a passage taken from the book Arcanum 17 by the French surrealist writer André Breton. A long-form prose poem, in this section he describes the titular tarot card, The Star – the 17th card of the of the major arcana. The book was composed while staying in Canada during World War II with his new love (and eventual third wife) Elisa Claro. Prior to meeting Elisa, Breton had been left by his wife and who had taken their young daughter along with her. The book is a meditation on love, loss, and rebirth. The final sentence in this piece is the first sentence to the next passage in the book – linking the symbolic to the real. Length: 4:41.