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EndersGame Inner circle Reviewer EndersGame 2195 Posts |
Untitled V2 `Reflections' Playing Cards
The first time around, the title "Untitled" made my head spin just a little. What a great paradox: after all, if it is titled "Untitled", then it's not untitled is it? That was the clever and creative name of Adam Borderline's first deck, which I've reviewed previously here. Adam is an artist through and through, and is highly regarded for his "liquid card photography". You'll see some stunning examples of his imaginative and creative work, which often features playing cards with liquids, over at his Instagram account. He explains the premise of the original Untitled deck as follows: "I've always had a fascination with abstract art, it's raw and unconventional. I really wanted to portray that in this deck. Untitled Playing Cards offers a freedom from constraint, pursue your creativity." Now this striking and imaginative deck has a sequel: Untitled V2 Playing Cards. Just like its predecessor, the Untitled V2 deck has Fluidcards in capitalized print along the side of the tuck box, which captures both what Adam's photography is about, and also something about the nature of cardistry: fluid motion. As Adam describes it: "Fluid motion. The ability to take 52 pieces of paper and have them come to life. Creating shapes, movement. It’s a skill we spend hours, days and months perfecting. It’s pure." The front of the tuck box is a work of abstraction in deliberately dull blacks and greys, which serves to make the colours on the reverse look all the more vibrant and energetic. It's a lively design that is abstract and yet exudes energy and life; an overall tone of reds/pinks splashed with black reminds us of the fluids often found in Adam's photographic work. By losing a sense of traditional shapes and boundaries, we enter the world of the abstract, and yet just like cards in motion in the hands of a skilled cardist, it's still very much a work of art. Unlike the previous deck, which had a one-way design on the card backs, here we have a mirrored two-way design, which ensures that even if the cards are well mixed, we still get order rather than a confused and chaotic slurry of colours, and for me personally that is an improvement. It also captures the subtitle of the deck ("Reflections"), and looks great in the hands of a cardist. The ad copy describes the origin of this deck as follows: "Untitled V2 'Reflections' is a journey into the mind of an artist. The reflection of self. It began with a painting, then photographed and mirrored 4 times. Throughout the design are hidden meanings relating to the topic of reflection and art. " This means that if you look closely, the artwork on the card backs is actually a four way design, and enjoys symmetry both vertically and horizontally. The card faces are more or less standard, but there's enough customization to make this deck something special. First of all the court cards have been stripped of their usual blue colour. Instead they are a simpler combination of black, red, and yellow, and this helps preserve a connection with the red and black of the card backs, and looks very slick. The stunning Ace of Spade features a giant pip, which is in itself a reflection of the colourful artwork of the card backs. The original Untitled deck had a very special feature with the entire Spades suit: each Spade card had one pip that has been decorated with a splash from the card backs. That concept has been applied here too, but this time it is the Heart suit that gets this lavish treatment - but only the number cards. The fact that the back design is red and black makes this less out of place than the original deck, and it makes the customization slightly more subtle, while still being very stylish. As to the reason why it's not applied to the court cards this time? It is related to the concept and title of the deck: "This signifies that the untitled ones, born from nothing, have nothing. The court cards were often used to resemble royalty." Ah - clever! The Jokers offer a very obvious "reflection" of the card backs, this time with a strong rectangular shape that mirrors the shape of the cards themselves. Again very stylish and elegant! This deck has been printed by USPCC in their usual air cushion finish, so it handles as good as it looks. While I loved the original deck and found it well suited for magic, I have to admit that it's even more true of the sequel, due to the simpler colour palette. This ensures that it won't draw too much attention to itself, while still being very much a custom deck that stands out from the ordinary and the plain. And to help us with our magic, we can also make use of the double-backer gaff card that is included. See the official trailer for this deck here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8yTL66_mok Note that some of the images of this deck are by Adam Borderline himself. To learn more about his outstanding work, visit his official website, or admire the content he posts on social media at his Instagram and Facebook pages. This deck should be available at your favourite Murphy’s Magic retailer - check their website to learn more: https://www.murphysmagic.com/product.aspx?id=62817 |
The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » Deck the Halls » » Review: Untitled V2 `Reflections' Playing Cards (Adam Borderline) (0 Likes) |
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