MatriaSKAT

Artist’s card game – inspired by the traditional blue print motifs from the Schwalenberg artists’ colony in Westphalia/Lippe.

with BLUE and in CHANGE

This deck of cards is 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.

Originally, permission to produce blueprint was 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. They 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 defined 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 are the drones, just like in a real bee colony; a real bee colony is not hierarchical, but functional. And with the production of honey, it is incredibly effective. 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.

Matria Skat

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

Limited edition of 100 pieces.

Jack, Queen, Queen – MatriaSKAT can be played according to all common rules.

The deck contains the 32 cards of a skat game

The ace here is the honeycomb.

The queen bee leads the state.

The honey bee follows as the queen.

The jack is represented by the drone (male honey bee).

All cards contain samples of the traditional Schwalenberg blue print. These motifs have a regional uniqueness that we hardly know today – personally produced by the local master craftsman. In the course of the 18th century, blue printing became less important due to new dyeing possibilities and more efficient techniques. Permission to produce blueprint was originally strictly limited by the craftsmen’s guild and tied to a specific location.

This meant protection and restriction in equal measure – both in terms of production and acquisition. And it was forbidden by law for a woman to become a master craftsman.

The models (wooden stamps), 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.

Changing tradition – The longer I studied blueprinting, the more difficult and severe the traditional patterns seemed to me, some of which are still available today in the form of well-preserved models (handmade wooden stamps).

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.

Bee, queen and queen – the strict hierarchical orders not only in traditional crafts are suspended here. Because a bee colony is not hierarchical, but functional.

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.

The catalog accompanying the exhibition documents the creation of MatriaSKAT.

The catalog can be ordered from Verlag KRAUTIN, Berlin or directly from Schieder Schwalenberg Art Association

THE CATALOG IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE SCOPE OF DELIVERY!