Artist card game – inspired by traditional blueprint motifs

The card deck was created in the context of the artists’ colony Schwalenberg (Westphalia/Lippe) and was my contribution to the exhibition “mitBLAU” of the Kunstverein Schieder Schwalenberg e.V.

The Schwalenberg blueprint motifs have a regional uniqueness that we hardly know today – produced by local master craftsmen. The wooden models, which are still in good condition today, show leaf shapes and types of growth, e.g. of shepherd’s purse or holly and fern, as well as native animals such as hare, fox and deer. The finished traditional blueprint fabrics radiate simplicity and clarity – even in the small, playful nature scenes. The artists involved in the exhibition have addressed the disappearance of the Schwalenberg blueprinting craft for this exhibition.

Tradition in transition

The longer I studied the subject, the more rigid the traditional patterns seemed to me, some of which are still available today in the form of well-preserved wooden models.

This is because the permission to produce blueprint was originally strictly limited by the craftsmen’s guild and bound to a specific location. This meant protection and restriction in equal measure – both in terms of production and acquisition.

And it was not possible by law for a woman to obtain a master craftsman’s title.

Technological progress and social change seem inseparable, usually unavoidable and associated with a great deal of uncertainty. And they are very topical.

In the same way, copyright with all its opportunities and risks is omnipresent, and not just for us artists.

By starting to play with the blueprint motifs, I discovered a colorful and fresh potential at the same time. I was able to modify and vary the stamps infinitely in the digital application. The possibilities grew the more I freed myself from the strict arrangement of the traditional prints.

The idea of developing a card game from the blueprint theme led me to examine our traditional skat games. But here, too, I came across an omnipresent hierarchy – consistently determined by the value of the playing cards in the order Jack, Queen, King. Queens do not exist in the world of traditional card decks.

The MatriaSKAT plays with a new order

Bee, queen, queen. The jacks here – as in a real bee colony – are the drones. A real bee colony is not hierarchical, but functional. And yet it is so incredibly effective at producing honey. That’s why the honeycomb is the ace here.

A bee colony is certainly not a model for a new form of society. And this MatriaSKAT can be played according to the usual skating rules. There are winners and losers here too.

MatriaSKAT – Edition & Playability

With this deck of Skat cards you are holding an original artist’s edition in your hands.

• Limited edition: 100 pieces
• Playable according to all common skate rules
• The deck contains the 32 cards of a skat game
• Ace: Honeycomb
• Card figures: Queen (queen bee), queen (honey bee), jack (drone)
• All cards contain samples of the traditional Schwalenberg blue print

The motifs of the historical wooden models – plant shapes, types of growth and depictions of native animals – still characterize the imagery of traditional blueprinting today.

With the digital application, I was able to modify and vary the stamps endlessly. The possibilities grew the more I freed myself from the order of the traditional templates. At the same time, the traditional craft has lasting value and is the basis for many further developments. That’s why the traditional patterns have been retained in these cards and in some cases further developed. I have supplemented the traditional blue with clear colors.

As in life, so in the game: change is part of our lives. In any case, may the cheerful bees in this MatriaSKAT bring you fun and joy.

Accompanying catalog (not included in the scope of delivery)

The catalog accompanying the exhibition documents the creation of MatriaSKAT. The catalog can be ordered from Verlag KRAUTIN, Berlin or directly from Kunstverein Schieder Schwalenberg.

The catalog is not included in the scope of delivery.