Cardistry: 3 Questions with Melaine Piton of Azote Playing Cards

Azote Playing Cards is the brainchild of 18-year old Melaine Piton, currently seeking funds on Kickstarter. The fully custom deck is inspired by modern art emphasizing on motion. As a self-thought designer, Melaine really enjoys discovering and creating works from different styles of art.



The deck features an optical illusion back design with a minimal black and white color palette. Crafted for cardistry, the faces will give a visual edge to your card flourishes. I personally love how seamlessly different design styles and element came together in this neat little package. A few days ago, we sat down with Melaine for a quick Q&A on the Azote deck.

What is your inspiration behind the Azote Playing Cards? How did you come up with the idea?
It all started with a graffiti I made for Diva playing cards. At the time, I had never thought of creating a deck myself. Finally, talking with Alex, I realized that it was possible, even if it's complicated: it just takes a lot of time! An unreachable dream had become a feasible project.

I was inspired by many artists: Vasarely, Tyler Spangler, Sarah Morris. Art in general as street art, or modern art! I wanted to create a visual design, pure, that would highlight the movements of the one who uses them! About the faces, they have been completely revisited so as to give a brand new aspect to these "classics", without being unrecognizable!

We first noticed the deck on Instagram. What do you think of the community in terms of the feedback and support that you’ve been getting so far?
Instagram is not very representative; the number of people interested in the project is radically different from the actual number of backers. However, it is important to highlight (and thank) the role of those who share the page, who help a lot to make the project gain notoriety in the community; which is not obvious when you started from scratch. The community, let's talk about it: Few haters, only encouraging and positive comments! Nothing to say, the middle of the cardistry (and magic) is really nice!

Finally, what are your favorite playing card decks?
I like a lot of decks, but my favorites are Diva's from Alex Matencio, Red Stripes from Omar Renfro, and Cubeline from Bas John; These decks are real pieces of Art!

At the time of writing, Azote Playing Cards is only 85% funded with only 3 days to go! Head on to Kickstarter if you want to support Melaine. Pledge starts at €12 (USD$14).

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