I’ve always loved magic, it always surprised me how much being a magician when I was younger helped me pull the ladies…. (Ok, I made that up!) I loved watching Paul Daniels Magic Show on a Saturday night, but over the years magic that I watched became very formulated and samey. Or I just got older??
The exception for me years ago was David Copperfield, huge spectacular illusions that always left me wondering how it the buggery did he do that, his levitation illusion was one of my favourites. He flies around the stage and audience with ease, then floats into perspex box and the lid is dropped on and he then walks on the roof upside down as someone else walks across the top, footstep for footstep… very clever and nowhere to be found on YouTube anymore! :(
Which brings me to a great article by Teller (From Penn & Teller), a more modern day magician who has revealed some of the ways magicians manipulate the human mind to alter perceptions to create some great illusions. It’s a great article without being a ‘show and tell’ of magic tricks, but it does reveal some of the principles in creating some great magic tricks.
Smithsonian – Teller reveals his secrets.
Related articles
- The neuroscience of magic (boingboing.net)
- Teller Speaks On The Art Of Magic (gizmodo.com.au)
