Is it the noble art of writing inspiring birthday quotes on a card and sending them to your grandmother? Is it the ability to fold a crane bird with one hand … whilst balancing on a unicycle? – No! It’s the art of flinging, cutting, flipping, rotating and shuffling cards, all this executed with seemingly effortless skills. Cardistry is still in its nascent stage but thanks to Youtube and social media, cardists are now able to share tricks with fellow card lovers all over the world and show their art to an increasingly international audience.
How an added feature turns into its own art form
Cardistry is very different from card magic, but has similar origins. Magicians already used card moves to add more spectacle to their tricks. That technique has now evolved into a skill hobby like skateboarding, with the mere purpose of executing visually impressive and difficult flourishes. Skateboarding is a comparison used by a lot of cardists. Just like a deck of cards, a skateboard turned out to be extremely useful to bored youngsters to pass the time. Thanks to video culture, skateboarding grew into an international social movement with professional skateboard riders and events like the X-games to exhibit tricks. Will the new Tony Hawk be a cardist? You be the judge and check it out.
They’re not nerds, they’re skilled performers
Is cardistry the perfect hobby for pale, nerdy teenagers who are too afraid of the physical risks of skateboarding? It’s 2017 people, let’s move on from this prehistoric and unfitting stereotype. Top performers of the community decided to showcase their talent and organise Cardistry-Con. In 2015 passionate cardists from all over the world gathered in Brooklyn, New York, to share their passion and finally meet colleagues they had only seen on Skype or Youtube in real life. Thanks to the first Cardistry-Con, this new art form became recognised by popular media and the number of enthusiastic cardists grew exponentially, together with the level of updated content. People from all over the world who connect thanks to a deck of cards? Isn’t that just fantastic?
Are you a cardist with a great idea for a deck? Reach out to Cartamundi. Or start exercising those fingers with our card trick tutorials on Facebook.