Kite  Playing Cards by ARK Playing Cards (Kickstarter)

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cardcollection/kite-playing-cards-by-ark

Custom playing cards inspired by the Chinese heritage of the kite, combining tradition, sophistication, and grace.

Current funding level: already funded
Kickstarter ends: Monday, October 28, 2024

In recent years ARK Playing Cards has become well-known as a creator of luxury playing cards, that are especially notable for their lavish production and creative tuck boxes.  Their newest project is Kite Playing Cards is currently being funded on Kickstarter, and continues this trend of innovation and quality. 



As with many of their previous projects, Kite Playing Cards is inspired by Chinese culture, and relies on innovative printing techniques and a creative tuck case design.  ARK constantly pushes the boundaries of what we've previously seen in the world of playing cards, and in this instance they've come up with a creative and foldable structure that is based on an important symbol from China's cultural heritage: the kite.

Kites date back some 2500 years to the Eastern Zhou period, and stem from a time where the papermaking industry had flourished.  Civilians began using paper to cover kites, which is a tradition that continues to this day, both as a form of entertainment, as well as a source of rich symbolism.

To capture this theme, they've come up with a unique concept for the tuck box of the playing cards unlike any other we've ever seen before.  When closed, it folds into the usual shape of a card box, to store the playing cards.  But when unfolded it displays the classic silhouette of a swallow kite. The case even has a display stand, because you can insert playing cards into special slots in the tuck box to act as the bamboo "frame" of the kite, enabling the box to be supported and displayed.

This animated gif does a good job of showing what this effect looks like:



The design of the tuck box features the traditional Shayan kite, and decorative patterns include important symbols such as Chinese knots, flowers, koi fish, catfish, and bats.

The card backs combine bamboo strips with Chinese patterns, and hidden in the design are items like the kite's spool, as well as symbols of joy and prosperity such as seals, bats, and swallows.

The four suits all correspond to different symbols and kite shapes:
- Spades: classic Shayan kite = good fortune
- Hearts: butterfly shape = happiness and fulfillment
- Clubs: goldfish shape = abundance and wealth
- Diamonds: dragonfly shape = grace and beauty

The faces on all the cards are decorated with exquisite patterns and motifs related to kites.  The court cards show figures engaging in kite-related activities such as kite flying, crafting, and weaving.

Much like we've seen with previous ARK projects, this project is available with different levels and styles of luxury packaging:
● Standard Deck (limited edition of 3333): single deck, including the creative folding kite tuck case and stand (US$30)
● Artist Boxset (limited edition of 999): holographic foil deck & monochromatic deck, in a gift box with a book (US$80)
● Walnut Boxset (limited edition of 333): holographic foil gold deck with gilded edges, plus a collectible coin, in a walnut gift box (US$185)
● Luxury Black (limited edition of 99): black-edged deck, plus an embossed metal plate (US$150, only available as part of the "All-In" reward)



Extra add-ons like uncut sheets and coins are also available separately.  Here's a preview of how each of the above four packaging and deck options look.

1. Standard Deck

This is a limited edition of 3333 decks, all with individually numbered seals, and is the base level deck, but includes the creative folding kite-shaped tuck case.

Tuck case







Cards











2. Artist Box set

These 999 box sets (again individually numbered) consist of a special gift box that includes a book, and two decks: a holo foil deck (with blue gilding) in the special folding kite tuck case, and a second special deck which is more monochromatic in colour and style.

Box





Holo deck













Special deck







Book



3. Walnut Box set

The Walnut Box set is limited to 333 copies, all individually numbered, and in a multifunctional wooden box that can be set-up for a special display of the deck.  The deck included is a gold deck with holographic foil and gilded edges, and there's also a collectible coin.

Box





Gold deck







Coin



4. Luxury Black set

Only 99 individually numbered Luxury Black sets are available, and you can only get this with the "all in" option.  This is a black deck (with black edges) that has white artwork and design, and comes with a numbered embossed metal plate.

Black deck











Metal plate



Head over to the project page for many more pictures of these unique collectors pieces.

Kickstarter link

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cardcollection/kite-playing-cards-by-ark

Some photos of the tuck box design:

Kickstarter - Van Gogh & Kuniyoshi Playing Cards (by 52 MUS?E)

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/208530852/van-gogh-and-kuniyoshi-playing-cards-by-52-musee

Luxurious holographic foil playing cards with the works of Van Gogh and Kuniyoshi

Project ends: Monday, 21 October 2024



Earlier this year, "52 MUS?E" debuted their first custom decks, the Claude Monet Playing Cards, which combined famous art-pieces from the renowned artist with luxury holographic foil.  It was a big success, and the cards looked spectacular.  Behind all this is TCC Playing Cards, also creator of ARK Playing Cards, and 52 MUS?E is their sub-brand that they're using to bring classic works of art to life in this way.

Their newest project is called Van Gogh & Kuniyoshi Playing Cards, and continues the artist theme by displaying the works of two other famous painters.  Each deck comes in three versions: Standard Edition (a limited edition of 2000), Special Edition (limited edition of 700), and Gilded Edition (a limited edition of 300).

Van Gogh Standard Edition deck

Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), was a famous Dutch painter, known for his love of colour, and for his influence in Post-Impressionism and anticipating Expressionism.  You'll find many of his most famous works included, such as The Starry Night, Sunflowers, White Rose, and Self-Portrait. 

The Standard Edition is inspired by his famous painting, The Starry Night. 





















Van Gogh Special Edition deck

The Special Edition is inspired by Van Gogh's Sunflowers.

















The Gilded Edition is basically a gilded version of the Special Edition, and is only available as part of a half brick, or as part of a collection box (250 only) which also includes a Standard Edition. 

Kuniyoshi Standard Edition deck

Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798?1861), was a famous Japanese painter from the Edo period, and is considered a master of the late Utagawa school of ukiyo-e.  He's also known under the names Ichiyūsai and Chōōrō.  His masterpieces include Soma no Furudairi, and also Woman Doing Her Laundry in the River. 

The Standard Edition has a unique tuck box with double-layers and cut-outs that incorporate aspects of Japanese architecture.  The artwork on the cards captures something of Kuniyoshi's vibrant and distinctive style, and features features various ukiyo-e works from Kuniyoshi, including illustrations of samurai and yokai (supernatural creatures).



















Kuniyoshi Special Edition deck

The Special Edition is inspired by works from Kuniyoshi's Water Margin series, and among the illustrations on these cards you'll see heroes from this series.

The Gilded Edition is a luxury version of the Special Edition by adding gilding, and is only available either as part of a half brick, or as part of a collection box (250 only) that also includes a Standard Edition.

















Van Gogh Collection Box & Kuniyoshi Collection Box

So there's lots of options to choose from, but the best option for the discerning collector wanting the best of the best will be the limited edition collection box (250 only) for the Van Gogh decks and for the Kuniyoshi decks, since it comes with each of the two main decks for each artist, including the luxury gilded version of the second deck.



Does the holographic foil make a difference to the artwork?  Definitely.  All these decks have holographic foil on the faces, and depending on what angle you hold the cards up to the light, it changes the colours and the overall effect of the art depicted on the cards.  I was really impressed with the sample decks of these I got to see, and anyone who enjoys the artwork of these artists will find a lot to like here. 

Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/208530852/van-gogh-and-kuniyoshi-playing-cards-by-52-musee

Hello, everyone.  I'm happy to be here. 

I got into playing cards when my wife and I started hosting poker nights with our trivia team.  We wanted to play with some fancy decks, and were shocked at how many incredible decks there are out there.  Seven months and close to 300 decks later, our budget is a little shocked.  We're both huge fans of Kings Wild Project, and I also like Wonder Playing Cards a lot. We are mainly buying decks we like from Kickstarter nowadays, and we are actually looking at some of our earlier purchases and trying to think of a way to unload them, LOL. I have developed a real liking for metal cards and have my first white whale: Minty's Anubis and Osiris metal cards. Not going to be able to afford those until I get that elusive lottery win.

Our first anniversary was back in May, and since that's the paper anniversary, I designed a deck for her based on our wedding and honeymoon, and ordered a few copies from MakePlayingCards. I've had ideas for more decks, but don't have the talent or training to do most of them, at least right now. I'm slowly learning Illustrator and Photoshop, and even more slowly learning how to draw faces and hands. I also picked up The Grammar of Ornament, which is incredibly useful. So I collect, I design a little, and I remain completely helpless and unteachable when it comes to cardistry.

The Lost In The Shuffle documentary has now been released, and for just $4.99 you can stream it on demand on a variety of platforms:
- USA & UK: iTunes/Apple TV, YoutTube, Microsoft/XBox, Fandango
- Rest of the World: Kinema

It's also being screened at selected theaters.  For direct links to the above, and for information about theater screenings, see:

https://www.lostintheshuffle.film/live-dates



I've watched the film and really enjoyed it.  There's actually a lot going on, and the documentary ties together a number of different elements in a good way: playing card history, card magic, several big-name pro magicians, plus magician Shawn Farquhar travelling to various places.  It's evident that the film-makers have poured a huge amount of time, effort, and love into making this film.  Here's my review, with some of my impressions.
 
It was different than I expected, but in a good way.  I was expecting the focal point to be a new theory by Shawn Farquhar about the meaning of the court cards, i.e. a documentary about playing card history.  That was obviously a big part of the film.  But what surprised me is how this story was constructed around card magic.  In many ways it was more about card magic than about playing card history.  And I loved that.  The combination of different elements made it far more enjoyable to watch that I had anticipated.


 
Shawn Farquhar is the "narrator", and it's through his eyes that the story is told.  He's the perfect person for this, because he is just bursting with energy, and his enthusiasm for playing cards and for card magic is infectious. 
 
Along with Shawn is an impressive team of people.  Take a look at these big names: Alexandria Duvivier, Juan Tamariz, Michael Vincent, and Richard Turner.  Anybody who knows something about card magic will realize that there's some real experts here.  Seeing contemporary greats in card magic like Juan Tamariz, Richard Turner, and Michael Vincent being brought together like this was amazing.  I have great very high respect for all of them.  Alexandria Duvivier isn't quite in their league, but she fits in fine.
 

 
The framework and structure of the film is put together well.  I love how we join Shawn in meeting up with the four main magicians featured in the documentary, and with each of them there's a focus on a different plot in card magic.  This is combined with the story about playing card history that he is digging up along the way.  And all this is then capped off with a fun story-telling card magic routine at the end.  That really helps hold everything together, and is done in a really lovely way. 
 

 
Shawn's "thesis" about the playing card characters ended up having a much lower profile than I was expecting.  In short, he suggests that the traditional court card designs we're familiar with today help solve the mysterious death of King Charles VIII, who died in 1498.  He believes that the traditional `suicide king' (King of Hearts) represents King Charles, and that his death wasn't caused by bumping his head on a door frame as is usually believed, but the royal figure represented by the Queen of Spades was the villain that hastened his death.



It's probably a good thing that this storyline isn't laid on too thick, because the majority of playing card historians are unlikely to buy this theory.  Personally I find it somewhat tenuous, because as some of the historians quoted in the film point out, there's no real evidence for it.  Given the historical development of court cards, it's highly unlikely that a historical incident in a single setting would determine how court cards look all over France and around the world.  Even Shawn himself often says things like "I believe this character is X" or "I believe this detail on the card is Y" with no real evidence for the connection.



But that's okay, but that didn't prevent me enjoying the film because of the other content.  If this film was intended purely to be a documentary presenting an alternate version of playing card history, this would be a weakness. But there's a lot to enjoy independent of that, especially the card magic.    And while Shawn's theory becomes the framework and background premise for the documentary, the film doesn't need it to be true in order to work.  It's more of an artistic framework, and while it could be true, the film doesn't stand or fall on whether or not it is factual.  When watched as something that is informative and entertaining first of all, this approach is acceptable, and it would be unfair for playing card purists and historians to criticize it too sharply simply because they don't believe Shawn's alternate theory to be credible.
 
In fact, the film-maker Jon Ornay demonstrates intellectual honesty by not presenting Shawn's view as "fact".  Near the end he even includes some of the historian guys consulted along the way saying "I have no way of being able to support this thesis".  To me, that just proves that the film works, regardless of whether or not the viewer is convinced by Shawn.
 

 
Does Shawn himself even believes the thesis he prevents?  Probably.  But we can't be entirely sure.  He's first and foremost a magician.  And magicians fool us.  Is he perhaps using this whole story, just to lend legitimacy and historicity to the story-telling of his final routine?  I wouldn't rule out a magician doing that, and I wouldn't put it past him to tell us about this "theory", when in reality what he's doing is just setting us up for the grand reveal and the storytelling routine in the end.  If that's what is happening here, it's legitimate.  But having said that, it is my understanding that he is serious about his theory, but fortunately the film can be enjoyed independent of how you personally feel about this.
 
Despite the above disclaimers about the historicity of Shawn's thesis about the identity of specific court cards, I did really like the section about the history of playing cards at the start. I've done a lot of reading and study on playing card history, and it seems to me that the quick tour we get of the overall history and development of playing cards is accurate, informative, and interesting.
 


Furthermore, a lot of the history that is explored and explained by Shawn about King Charles and his court is also historical and accurate.  It's just the connection between this history and playing cards that is uncertain, as is Shawn's theory about the actual cause of Charles' death).  Fortunately the film doesn't push this too far, and as a viewer it's left up to you to agree or disagree.

Other aspects of the filmmaking are also solid.  The music is well suited and professional, and complements the visuals nicely.  The graphics and illustrations are well done for the most part too.  The animated parts of the film are one of the weaker aspects, but I can understand the need for them, and they function adequately.

Having French-speaking experts makes things a little harder to follow at times, given the academic and historical content of what they speak about.  But obviously they are authorities on the subject, so it is good to hear them in their own words and language.  And of course English subtitles are provided. 
 

 
In short, I'm very pleased to see a documentary that does a nice job of making the history of playing cards interesting, and also gives us some intimate time with some fascinating personalities and some of the best card magicians in the world, and enjoy some fun card magic too.  I'm pleased that "Lost In The Shuffle" has become more widely available and is now available for streaming, and I recommend checking it out if you can!

Where to find it:
- USA & UK
- Rest of the World