6 ms·

Cardstacker Bryan Berg

78 points by hispanic 5y ago

mikkergp 5y ago
This is a cool version of "It's not about the idea but the execution of the idea". I love examples of people taking some pedestrian hobby/skill/craft and making it amazing.
deusum 5y ago
If you've never played "World of Goo" - the mechanics are somewhat similar, and it's a great game!
- Toutouxc 5y ago
  Ooh, and the music, so calming! World of Goo and Little Inferno are my favorite Christmas-time games.
ALittleLight 5y ago
I thought, for sure he had to be using glue or something to make these things. Not according to this line from his About page - "I can build freestanding structures out of cards (no tape, no glue, no tricks)" And he has a few pictures of him knocking down some card buildings. I still find it hard to believe there's no glue for some of these... But Wow! Impressive stuff.
- wheybags 5y ago
  Some of them look like semi permanent exhibits in a large space, surely those ones must be glued? The wind from people walking around would blow them over otherwise, no?
  - rapnie 5y ago
    There's some videos on this on the site, where he also blows the structures apart with a wind machine at the end of an exhibition, and topples the towers he built by running into them.
    - faeyanpiraat 5y ago
      How can I find those videos?
      - rapnie 5y ago
        https://www.cardstacker.com/videos https://www.cardstacker.com/videos
  - BorisTheBrave 5y ago
    I see he often places multiple cards flat against each other - probably gives the structure more weight against random gusts and jostles.
- ballenf 5y ago
  The last client is Loctite and he discusses the use of glue in that project as the first exception to “no glue”.
- ojbyrne 5y ago
  If you click on the main images there is a narrative description for each project where he says some of them do use glue - the Holiday Inn one for example.
tbrake 5y ago
Although it's hard to phrase this non-humorously, it is a legitimate question - is anyone else instantly filled with the urge to just Godzilla stomp one of those displays? I wouldn't trust myself within 5 meters of one. I really don't have many destructive urges outside of this; I mean, why ruin someone's work, right? There's just something about a fragile or delicate construction that makes me want to immediately knock it down. The same compulsion doesn't occur looking at anything that ostensibly appears sturdy. But put me in front of a beautiful sand sculptures or those delicate stacked chocolate displays and I want to become a literal bull in a china shop. I wonder if there's a fanciful term for this weird compulsion, like the way we have l'appel du vide for the urge to jump off a cliff or if it's just a generic wicked impulse.
- cholmon 5y ago
  I had the exact same thought/impulse when I was looking through the examples of his work. I think the source of it, for me anyway, is understanding that each of these displays is ephemeral. They aren't intended to last long at all, so you know they have to be dismantled. And the quickest/most fun way to dismantle a house of cards is Godzilla. Surely they aren't delicately disassembling these things. It seems prudent for there to even be an honorary Godzilla for each of them...some lucky individual who gets to sprint straight through the display, or chuck a tennis ball into it.
- Kolja 5y ago
  It's not just you. And I know of at least a couple of people that think the same way...[1] [1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5sQqzLGOnA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5sQqzLGOnA
- darepublic 5y ago
  It's because you anticipate the destruction of the ephemeral object and then until it actually happens you need to store a variable waiting for the outcome to happen. This causes discomfort that can be alleviated if the card tower is knocked over. A part of your brain then attempts to incentivize knocking over the cards yourself by surfacing the childlike fun of throwing yourself into a pile of autumn leaves.
- 5y ago
JoeDaDude 5y ago
At one time, there was a licensed kit which included several decks of cards and a small frame which was useful for small children to build the basic structural block Bryan uses in his creations. It was not so useful for adults as his method is quite simple, though it does require patience - a lot of patience. https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/cardstacker-starter-kit-cartamundi-3577025694 https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/cardstacker-starter-k...
antongribok 5y ago
Video of this guy from Wired: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SEBBj2BIBm8 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SEBBj2BIBm8
tyingq 5y ago
It's interesting to me that he's able to make a living doing solely this, apparently since 1994 (according to his about page). Good for him.

78 points by hispanic 5y ago

This is a cool version of "It's not about the idea but the execution of the idea". I love examples of people taking some pedestrian hobby/skill/craft and making it amazing.

deusum 5y ago

If you've never played "World of Goo" - the mechanics are somewhat similar, and it's a great game!

Toutouxc 5y ago
Ooh, and the music, so calming! World of Goo and Little Inferno are my favorite Christmas-time games.

ALittleLight 5y ago

I thought, for sure he had to be using glue or something to make these things. Not according to this line from his About page - "I can build freestanding structures out of cards (no tape, no glue, no tricks)" And he has a few pictures of him knocking down some card buildings. I still find it hard to believe there's no glue for some of these... But Wow! Impressive stuff.

wheybags 5y ago
Some of them look like semi permanent exhibits in a large space, surely those ones must be glued? The wind from people walking around would blow them over otherwise, no?
- rapnie 5y ago
  There's some videos on this on the site, where he also blows the structures apart with a wind machine at the end of an exhibition, and topples the towers he built by running into them.
  - faeyanpiraat 5y ago
    How can I find those videos?
    - rapnie 5y ago
      https://www.cardstacker.com/videos https://www.cardstacker.com/videos
- BorisTheBrave 5y ago
  I see he often places multiple cards flat against each other - probably gives the structure more weight against random gusts and jostles.
ballenf 5y ago
The last client is Loctite and he discusses the use of glue in that project as the first exception to “no glue”.
ojbyrne 5y ago
If you click on the main images there is a narrative description for each project where he says some of them do use glue - the Holiday Inn one for example.

tbrake 5y ago

Although it's hard to phrase this non-humorously, it is a legitimate question - is anyone else instantly filled with the urge to just Godzilla stomp one of those displays? I wouldn't trust myself within 5 meters of one. I really don't have many destructive urges outside of this; I mean, why ruin someone's work, right? There's just something about a fragile or delicate construction that makes me want to immediately knock it down. The same compulsion doesn't occur looking at anything that ostensibly appears sturdy. But put me in front of a beautiful sand sculptures or those delicate stacked chocolate displays and I want to become a literal bull in a china shop. I wonder if there's a fanciful term for this weird compulsion, like the way we have l'appel du vide for the urge to jump off a cliff or if it's just a generic wicked impulse.

cholmon 5y ago
I had the exact same thought/impulse when I was looking through the examples of his work. I think the source of it, for me anyway, is understanding that each of these displays is ephemeral. They aren't intended to last long at all, so you know they have to be dismantled. And the quickest/most fun way to dismantle a house of cards is Godzilla. Surely they aren't delicately disassembling these things. It seems prudent for there to even be an honorary Godzilla for each of them...some lucky individual who gets to sprint straight through the display, or chuck a tennis ball into it.
Kolja 5y ago
It's not just you. And I know of at least a couple of people that think the same way...[1] [1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5sQqzLGOnA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5sQqzLGOnA
darepublic 5y ago
It's because you anticipate the destruction of the ephemeral object and then until it actually happens you need to store a variable waiting for the outcome to happen. This causes discomfort that can be alleviated if the card tower is knocked over. A part of your brain then attempts to incentivize knocking over the cards yourself by surfacing the childlike fun of throwing yourself into a pile of autumn leaves.
5y ago

JoeDaDude 5y ago

At one time, there was a licensed kit which included several decks of cards and a small frame which was useful for small children to build the basic structural block Bryan uses in his creations. It was not so useful for adults as his method is quite simple, though it does require patience - a lot of patience. https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/cardstacker-starter-kit-cartamundi-3577025694 https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/cardstacker-starter-k...

antongribok 5y ago

Video of this guy from Wired: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SEBBj2BIBm8 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SEBBj2BIBm8

tyingq 5y ago

It's interesting to me that he's able to make a living doing solely this, apparently since 1994 (according to his about page). Good for him.