Oracolarium

Andrea Aste

Ever since my unusual childhood, spent between Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Turin (Italy), I have always been captivated by art, the distant past and the wonders of science. Growing up, I would imagine myself experimenting in a sort of alchemical laboratory attempting to solve the mysteries of the universe. With my very curious and inquisitive (nerdy) nature, I would spend hours pouring over dusty old art, science and history books. It was the chemistry of these things which led to studying Ancient Greek and Latin. I went on to receive a Master's in Philosophy of Language with, odd as it might seem, a specialisation in Computer Science. I pictured myself becoming like Victor Frankenstein screaming “It’s alive!” as I created the first artificial mind, a thinking android. However, destiny had other plans. With the intention of pursuing and financing a Ph.d and to support my fledgling artistic endeavours, I took work as a copywriter at an Italian advertising agency. While there, I became totally fascinated by the process of problem solving and communicating using imagery. Also, I soon realised that being a self-taught artist, was quite advantageous; not having received a formal training, I had to find my own way to realise the visions I had in my head, with the freedom of playing around and experimenting. As a consequence, my work as copywriter became more and more focused on the visual aspects of creating, designing and illustrating campaigns while using the analytic techniques from my academic background and the tools of advertising. I began working on projects looking for innovative solutions to fit the various needs of each client in a stylistically original manner. The resulting feedback was so positive that I felt encourage to make the scary decision of leaving the agency and chance going it alone. I thought, “I can become a multimedia freelance artist and illustrator. What could possible go wrong?” I laugh now. Though difficult at the beginning, it was one of the best choices I had ever made! This decision led to intense studying and research; I wanted to improve, develop and refine even more the technical and aesthetic aspect of my work. Since going freelance, I’ve added New Media and animations to my work arsenal. I have spent hours dedicating myself to learning programs, experimenting with different techniques and finding ways to quickly and efficiently streamline my workflow yet at the same time maintaining the high standard of quality and excellence that I expect of myself. My iPad and computer have officially become extensions of my body. And finally, one day, it happened, I screamed “it’s alive!”: all the interests that I have been following with a voracious cultural omnivorousness, all these seemingly unrelated concepts, methodologies and disciplines, my artistic pursuit and academic knowledge, all came together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. I could seamlessly combine past and present, the old with new; blending alchemy with Augmented Reality, integrating ancient codes and alphabets into modern day graphic work, amalgamating natural science with steampunk fantasy and science fiction. The bridge linking it all is my unique artistic style which has become my ‘signature' as a multimedia freelancer illustrator and graphic artist. This has opened up whole new worlds of unforeseen possibilities. Now, the sky was the limit as offers from unexpected corners began to arrive. I was commissioned by the Museum Grevin, the prestigious wax museum in Paris, and asked to collaborate on theatre productions. I was fortunate enough to have had my art exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide even at the 54th Edition of the Venice Biennale. I’ve designed building interiors, had two successful kickstarter campaigns, even created an augmented reality tarot deck, all while successfully maintaining my freelance work. You might be thinking this guy is crazy. No, not crazy, I’m just passionate about my work, and like Victor Frankenstein, I love playing in my laboratory doing all sorts of creative experiments.

Neil Kelso

Neil Kelso has dedicated himself to the exploration of magic, wonder, esoterica, and the places where reality and illusion collide. ​ As a Tarot Reader and Theatre Maker, Neil Kelso's work explores the role of story in understanding the world, and how we can read and write our own futures. Neil Kelso is a published author of books on Stage Magic and Tarot, and is regularly booked to speak at conferences for Tarot and Magic. To book a Tarot reading, click here: Tarot ​ As a theatre-maker, he is the co-founder of The House of Q Cabaret and Theatre Company, and a Resident Artist at Theatre Delicatessen. For more information about Neil Kelso's Theatre and Cabaret shows, click here: Shows ​ As a multi-disciplinary performer and collaborator, Neil Kelso trained in juggling under Arcadii Poupon at L'Ecole De Cirque De Bruxelles, and is a competition-winning classical concert pianist, an expert marksman, and he holds BSc(Hons) from University of Bath in International Management and French. He is a member of Equity, The Magic Circle, and Mensa.