Memento Mori Playing Cards - By Chris Ramsay

Memento Mori - "Remember your mortality"

Stemming from the medieval Latin theory and practice of reflection on mortality, it has been a ubiquitous part of human culture for centuries. From the philosophical to the artistic, the fascination, fear and appreciation of death has consistently captivated and cultivated our imagination. Many practitioners of this theory kept with them, artifacts or keepsakes which served as a reminder that the only thing certain in life, was death. Many of these items were often objects (watches, necklaces) in the shape of skulls.

The low-poly design represents a simplistic one. The bare "bones" of 3D creation and graphic art, the first steps of animation can be interpreted as the beginning of 'virtual' life.

Many historians believe that playing cards represented a deeper, esoteric meaning, that each suit was one of the four seasons. Each card within a suit was one of the thirteen phases of the moon. The fifty-two cards in a deck would represent the fifty-two weeks of the year and together, this would represent just one year of your life.

A constant reminder of our fleeting time on earth.

"This deck is my Memento Mori." - Chris Ramsay

• Designer: Although Chris Ramsay was the visionary and worked with Murphy's Magic to produce the first deck, a Reddit post from a card collector indicates that graphic artist Adrian Valenzuela was the designer of the original Memento Mori as well as the later Genesis deck. There is some debate within the playing card community regarding who should get the most credit for the design.
• Design: The cards are known for their unique, low-poly skull design. The theme is inspired by the Latin phrase "memento mori," which means "remember you will die," and is intended to be a reminder of life's fleeting nature.
• Manufacturer: The original decks were produced by Murphy's Magic and printed by the United States Playing Card Company (USPCC). Murphy's Magic has also released several recolored versions, including blue and holographic editions.
• Variations: Several versions of the deck have been released over the years, often with slightly different designs or color schemes. Examples include the
  Memento Mori NXS
  and
  Memento Mori Genesis
  . A separate Memento Mori deck was also designed by Michael Mateyko of KOMBOH CREATIVE and released by Art of Play in 2017