As a young magician just starting out I remember buying Mathematics, Magic and Mystery from the local bookstore only to quickly learn every trick within days. The effects and puzzles within are extremely easy yet impossibly effective. Apart from this book, I know very little about Martin Gardner, other than what’s on Wikipedia.
Several years ago a good friend loaned Dave and I his copy of The Encyclopedia of Impromptu Magic, another book by Martin Gardner which is now long out of print. For nearly 12 hours we went through every page – all 600 – thoroughly marking it up with yellow sticky notes. We look forward to the refined edition of this book with commentaries by Michael Weber to arrive later this year.
The video above is titled “The Nature of things” and gives a nice profile of Martin Gardner with long time friend and magician/mathematician, Persi Diaconis.
Magic-Con 2010 was an unbelievable experience and one we will never forget. Syd Segal, Dave, and myself began this journey over a year ago and to see it finally come to an end put tears in our eyes. We did it! We actually pulled it off!
The turnout was astounding! 20 presenters, over 300 attendees all under one roof for 3 days of inspiration. How could we ask for more? We can’t! We owe each each and every one of you huge thank you – without you, none of this would have been possible.
Make sure to visit Magic-Con.org for all the latest information.
We all know the determination and focus it takes to master an effect. We also know the sense of satisfaction and self worth that stems from its mastery. These intangible benefits of practicing and performing magic are what Conjuring Arts’ outreach program brings to those who need it most.
Hocus Pocus is designed to teach magic to disadvantaged youth and adults… The goal of the program is to empower participants by introducing them to fun and accessible magic effects that, with some effort, they will master and be able to share in other settings.
For more information on the Hocus Pocus Project click HERE to visit the all new Conjuring Arts Research Center website.
I have recently become fascinated with a particular style of art that has lately been getting lots of attention on the internet blogosphere. 3D Street Art, have you heard of it? HAVE YOU SEEN IT?
Only when looked at the right point of view does the three-dimensional painting become a perfect illusion. “It gets thrilling when the observer runs into the picture.” For example, Edgar (the artist responsible for the Ice Painting) encourages the spectator(s) to place themselves within the creative elements thus turning a painting in a magical story.
Click HERE to watch the making-of the Ice Age painting. To learn more about this artistic technique I encourage you to watch Anamorphosis, a brief documentary of the subversion of perspective.
Anamorphic Street Magic: A few years back, Magician,Marco Tempest ingeniously applied the same principle into one of his virtual magic tricks.
There are many 3D Street Artists out there, Kurt Wenner & Edgar Müller are just the two examples I used. Do a search in google and let us know if you come across something truly magical by using the comment box below. I look forward to seeing the progression of 3D Art in the years to come and can only imagine what will be conjured up next.
Japanese designer, Tokujin Yoshioka, conjures-up illusion for Hermès new window installation.
It’s nice to see an artist turn something so simple into something so amazingly beautiful… and magical. It really reminds us of the little things in life that we take for granted.
The installation will run from now until january 19th, 2010 at the Maison Hermès in Japan.
Grab your 3D glasses (I know you all have a pair lying around somewhere) and watch Daniel Madison perform Card Flourishes in 3D right through the inter-web!
The above clip was featured on Derren Brown’s 3D Spectacular, broadcast in the UK this past evening.
Dave and I recently sat down with Bill Goodwin, one of our era’s finest card magicians, to discuss card magic and his new DVD Reflection, an exquisite selection of eleven ingenious effects culled from his hard to find lecture notes as well as several effects never before published. This is the first time a collection of his secrets has ever been released on DVD.
Download the podcast here, or listen to it now via the player below.
On October 31st (HALLOWEEN), Reflection, a two and a half hour DVD featuring several of Billy’s strongest effects and numerous sleights will finally be available.
Theory11′s new new Rising Card App by Chris Kenner is no doubt one of the coolest “magic apps” I’ve purchased in the iTunes app store. “The effect is powerful; the method is diabolical.”
The effect is simple: You ask someone to name any card in the deck. It can be any card. You then bring out your iPhone or iPod Touch and let them open the Rising Card app. It displays a photo of a deck of cards. Ask them to think about their card, and then shake the phone. As they shake, the card they were thinking about visibly rises out of the deck.
Easy to learn, easy to perform – for anyone, anytime, anywhere.
I’ve been a huge fan of David Blaine’s vintage-looking magic posters since Buried Alive. Artist Mark Stutzman really knows how to capture the essence of magic on canvas. His latest poster “Decade” celebrates Blaine’s extraordinary accomplishments over the past decade, from his first days of being buried alive to his most recent feat, the bullet catch.
“If everyone you knew spoke the truth, it would be almost as terrible as if everyone you knew lied.” – Ricky Jay
Filmmaker Errol Morris (The Fog of War, Standard Operating Procedure) has just conducted a fascinating interview on his blog for The New York Times with Ricky Jay (needs no introduction) about the relationship between lying and deception that I think you all should read.
