Of unpleasant habits and loftier aims, 2023
Multimedia Installation, variable Dimension

"Anyone who has ever been to a tourney has surely seen this: A player that constantly flips through the cards in their hand making that flicking/ticking sound. Fast enough that no human could possibly read/look at them. This is an obvious ruse to psych out your opponent. It is totally uncalled for and I feel it should be stopped." − User: RUBRDUX, 09.12.2005, MTG SALVATION FORUM

Continuous clicking, small lights flashing. White, black, green, blue, red − they shine up from below and form the corner points of a pentagon on a black base plate. Without ever changing order, they light up, get faster and then slow down again. It seems as if they are trying to adapt to the game's flow, which is shown on the screen peering down from above: Found footage of different players' hands holding, shuffling and sorting their cards. But the often so treacherous face remains unrecognised. After all, a good poker face cannot always help to win. The collectible card game "Magic The Gathering" extends attention from the head to the hands. Throughout the tournament, they can provide a deeper insight into the psyche and especially the nervous state of players. Whether riffling, overhand shuffling or fanning, the so-called "flickering" describes various methods of card handling that can be useful not only at the beginning but especially during the course of the game. These techniques can also function as a strategic tool or an outlet for stress. Opponents are often irritated by the disturbing background noise, and may even feel discomfort or anger, especially if they are ambitious players. However, too strong a spirit of play does not have to mean complete dedication to the game. Nevertheless, "Magic The Gathering" was highly criticised in its early days in the mid-1990s and even discredited in certain circles in the USA as a supposedly satanic game. The reason for this, apart from occult image cards and devilish playing abilities, was the idea that the five-coloured pentagon could also form a pentagram. If this allegation is to be believed, Of unpleasant habits and loftier aims attempts to draw visitors under the game's spell and to dare a forbidden glimpse into the dark realm of "Magic The Gathering".

Text: Vivien Kämpf

Photo/Video: Dennis Haustein