Sugar pills, injections of nothing — studies show that, more often than you’d expect, placebos really work. At TEDMED, magician Eric Mead* does a trick to prove that, even when you know something’s not real, you can still react as powerfully as if it is. (Warning: This talk is not suitable for viewers who are disturbed by needles or blood.)
*Residing in Colorado, Eric Mead has been at the forefront of magic for the past 20 years. His insight on performing effective magic, in any situation, will not only leave an impression on you, but also on your audiences.
In 1997 David Blaine took the art of magic to new heights with his debut television special, Street Magic. He presented a genre of magic that was organically fed by pop culture’s own dynamic surroundings. It was live, on the street, in your face and uncensored. People actually believed in his abilities. He was a “magic man” capable of anything.
“It was David Blaine’s first TV Special that inspired us to see magic as a visual art. Our style and even magic as it’s perceived today is owed to his influence.”
As organizers of Magic-Con, we are honored and privileged to announce that David Blaine will be joining us for our breakthrough 2010 conference. We have arranged a very special interview with Blaine and we’d like to include all of you.
Though their methods are enshrouded in secrecy, magicians combine the art of performance with a variety of scientific disciplines, including math, physics and psychology, to create their dazzling effects and fascinating illusions.
The Houston Museum of Natural Science is proud to present Magic: The Science of Wonder, a new exhibition exploring the history of this secret art with fascinating artifacts and mesmerizing live performances.
In this captivating video, get a sneak peek into the magical mysteries and scintillating science in store!
In this captivating video (click the image), discover The Principles of Magic with Guest Curator Scott Cervine – and then visit the exhibition to learn more about “the scientists of show business.”
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.
Dan and Dave have joined an ongoing list of magicians who will take part in an online lecture in an effort to raise money for the people of Haiti. To attend the lecture, a minimum $10 donation is required. So far the lineup includes: Chad Long, Chris Brown, Irving Quant, Andi Gladwin, Paul Wilson, Dorian Rhodell, and many others. For more information, visit Facebook group: Magicians unite for Haiti.
In this highly personal talk from TEDMED, magician and stuntman David Blaine describes what it took to hold his breath underwater for 17 minutes — a world record (only two minutes shorter than this entire talk!) — and what his often death-defying work means to him. Warning: do NOT try this at home.
Last year we were approached by fashion giant Christopher Wicks’ clothing company English Laundry to incorporate our unique style of magic and card flourishes into a fresh new video that would showcase their brand. The end result is spectacular and to our knowledge, something that has never been done both in the fashion and magic industries. The video, directed by Silas Howard and Ben Peyser of Standard Quality, was shot with a Red camera on location at the Global Rebels warehouse. It incorporates a clever special effect that required us to wear green body suites and be filmed performing flourishes against a green screen.
Prior, another video was shot, by us, for display during their exhibit at the 2009 MAGIC show in Las Vegas. Both these videos, along with a special surprise, will be revealed this Friday only on dananddave.com.
Magicana — in partnership with Kent Wong and the Canadian Association of Magicians — are sponsoring a young magician and his/her guardian to attend the CAM in Kitchener-Waterloo Canada which promises an ALL STAR line up! BC’s very own Shawn Farquhar will be a featured presenter alongside several other outstanding international acts including FISM Winners: Tim Ellis and Sue-Anne Webster, Henry Evans, Lennart Green and Marc Oberon among MANY others.
Sponsorship includes return air fare, three-nights accommodations and two convention passes for a resident from Western Canada (BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan or Manitoba). It’s really easy to enter. For all the details and entry form, click here.
We’re in the process of setting up a European Lecture Tour for this Summer and we want to know where we should stop? Please contact us at info@dananddave.com if you are interested in hosting and/or attending one of our lectures so that we can schedule the events accordingly.
Please feel free to use the comments box below and/or the forum.
