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.”
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.
Reflection represents an exquisite selection of eleven ingenious effects from one of our era’s finest card magicians, Bill Goodwin. Included is material 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.
Using only an ordinary pack of cards, discover the secrets of a true sleight of hand artist and experience the deviant card magic of Bill Goodwin.
A few months ago we partnered with Bill Goodwin to bring you Siamese Twins, a DVD featuring an underground version of Card Warp. The effect was not only strong and visually stunning, Goodwin was able to provide the complete history behind the effect as well as go into expert instruction by applying his experience as a practiced professional, studied inventor and professional author of magic. Siamese Twins received rave reviews but was only a tease for what was to come. We mentioned a full DVD was in the works and we’re pleased to finally say the legendary card magic of Bill Goodwin will come to life on October 31st.
Reflection, the title of the project, has been in the making for months. Although strenuous, it has been a wonderful and rewarding experience working with Goodwin as his level of perfection exceeds ours and everything about the DVD has been thought out to the last part. There is not one detail that has been left out and many effects on the DVD feature alternate handlings and additional routines.
With over 2 hours of performances, in-depth instruction and complete history behind each routine and sleight, Reflection is not simply a DVD on tricks, but an important course for the advancement of your card magic.
It is a great pleasure of ours to work with such a master and an honor to present his magic.
Reflection by Bill Goodwin | Available this Halloween.
As a longtime fan and admirer of the TASCHEN art books, I have wondered when the “magic book” would come for severals years now. When I first heard it was going to become a reality a few years ago and that Mike Caveney and Jim Steinmeyer were involved, I didn’t think it could come soon enough. Anyone familiar with TASCHEN books knows they are of the highest quality and some might say as beautiful as the art they showcase. Expensive books they are (a few limited editions sell for upwards of $10,000), MAGIC is no exception and priced at $200. However, for a 650 page master archive of our arts history (1400-1950), is a a fair price in my opinion and well worth it. I have already placed my order and can’t wait to divulge its pages.
MAGIC, 1400-1950, is a book on the art of magic featuring 500 years of magic’s dazzling visual culture as a performing art. Read more information and leaf through a sample of the book on the TASCHEN website.
In The Expert at the Card Table, under the heading “Importance of Details”, Erdnase writes, “The finished card expert considers nothing too trivial that in any way contributes to his success, whether in avoiding or allaying suspicion, or in the particular manner of carrying out each detail; or in leading up to, or executing, each artifice.” Learning things the right way means learning every aspect of a move or routine. You need to know how to get in and get out of a move, where and how to direct your audience’s attention so that you present the audience with a fluid picture that looks whole to them but leaves plenty of room for you to hide the method, all while presenting the effect in an entertaining manner. The secret is in the details and, for the most part, the best way to acquire the knowledge of these details is through books. In the following couple of paragraphs we will look at a variety of books: those that will prove helpful to the beginner and provide a firm grounding in the art, those that will provide further instruction and a thorough understanding of the art, and, finally, books for the accomplished card handler.
Introduction to Card Magic
Starting off right can be done in a variety of ways depending on your desires and how much you are willing to invest to start out. A cost-effective and proven book for beginners is the Royal Road to Card Magic, which will teach a variety of techniques, flourishes, and effects, while setting up the beginner with a thorough grounding in the theory of the art. This book will teach you valuable lessons in a straight forward manner that will be beneficial and prove valuable throughout your studies, even at the highest levels of understanding. It is a bit antiquated in some aspects, like writing style, but the study will contribute greatly towards your ability to comprehend other books further on in your career. As a bonus, R. Paul Wilson, an excellent magician and thinker, has a superb DVD set that focuses on this book which will aid in your understanding of the work and magic in general immensely. Another path one could take which is more modern and thorough, in my opinion, is Roberto Giobbi’s Card College. These books represent a greater investment than the Royal Road but are absolutely fantastic. There are five books in the series and purchasing all of them to start out with may be a little extravagant, so I would recommend getting the first two to start if you are hesitant. The first book is an excellent starting point and will get your hands accustomed to some of the commoner sleights and build your dexterity, while the second book will take you into some more advanced techniques and tricks putting you well on your way to becoming an adept in the art. The next volumes feature many more techniques and theory that will really round out anyone’s education in the art, and they are highly recommended. The whole series really represents a practically complete understanding of the art consolidated within its covers, and one could easily be considered an expert with just the knowledge contained in these books. Regardless of the path you choose, omitting the study of some form of basic text is ill advised; it is likely that your study of more advanced books will be hindered without a good base knowledge of the art.
The Principles of Magic
As a longtime fan and admirer of the 