When people talk about magic (or at least, mention it to me after showing some myself), they often say: OH MY GAWDZZZ HOW DID YA DO THAt?!?!?!

After all the rantings and ravings, they will say stuff like: Actually magic's real cool... but it's all tricks isn't it? Just that it's all so well done, I am realli impressed. Good job.

From the very first moment mankind saw magic (invention of fire? Human reproduction? HAHA no it is possible, humans could have been very amazed by reproduction in the prehistoric ages), magic itself has evolved from something extremely sacred and secretive to a performance art, an entertainment form through amazement of the human mind.

Question is: How do we all, as magicians (or at least budding magicians), want to portray and perceive it to be?

Magic has transcended through time. Egyptians believed in magical amulets; Sorcerers (think Merlin) were found in Medevial Ages; China had its Linking Rings, India had its Rope Fakirs... magicians, or sorcerers at that time, were sacred people who could control all natural forces. They were powerful, they were strong... FEAR them.

Nowadays? Ohh... it's kinda interesting now isn't it? Magic is no longer an exclusive thingamajig; with magicians staging performances, television shows, walkaround magic, bar magic, blah blah... magic has been brought down to a lower level, almost as if it's no longer sacred or holy or mysterious. EVERYONE knows it's all a trick and there's something fishy and tricky behind an effect, be it using a DL, distracting the audience, or whatever.

For me, I prefer to view magic as an inclusive AND sacred art. I personally hate it when people (who have learned a bit of magic) act like big shots and do magic as if its just SO DARN EXCLUSIVE that HAHAHA NO ONE CAN DUPLICATE ME MAKING 4 ACES APPEAR IN MY HAND! Notice that I am not trying to say that we should treat magic as if it's common and uninteresting, as if it's not even amazing. That's why, we have to try our very best to let people realise magic IS a sacred and high form of performance art through amazement, yet it entertains and in fact RELATES to all of us, all of mankind. It has to be inclusive enough for everyone to relate to and enjoy, and at the same time realise magic's "might" and "power".

(For example purposes) Kenny G (My brother loves his music, so i am using him) is a great saxophone player. His skills are superb and almost unmatched. When he performs, he displays his skills at the saxophone. But does the audience go around thinking: "His skills? Aiyah, he just train like hell one lar.. no big deal right? What a showoff... think he so talented at the saxophone..." We all don't do that right? We just sit back and relax and enjoy the music. Why? His goal in his performance is? To bring my music to everyone, and entertain them and let them enjoy it. We all know he has great skills that probably no one can match, yet we don't make a fuss.

Similarly, producing 4 aces from your bare hands is something unnatural to do. Who could do that except the magician? If it were to be presented like "Hey Hey Look at me do this cool thing" and it were to be executed, it would not only lack amazement (because performance style is totally screwed), people would say "Aiyah, you hide it in your sleeve right?In your hands lar... hide it there... see? told you so..."

Maybe that is why magic was condemned for such a long time by the Church in the past. Magicians, for too long, have shown off their skills as something no one can duplicate. Everyone feared them. No wonder the Church, a powerful position at that time, labelled it evil and condemned it. And remember, it wasn't until some guy came out (cannot remember who) and showed magic as entertainment, and made magicians good people and inclusive people who did sleight of hand and not occultish stuff, before the world accepted magic again.

Make magic an appealing art. Make it inclusive, yet at the same time ensure its sacredness. Secrets must still be kept, but not to the extent where you seem to make it so exclusive and powerful that everyone hates it and wishes magic would go away, because it is JUST MAKING THIS LAME MAGICIAN'S HEAD SWELL.

I think it's normal for people to think magic's made up of tricks. After all, do you want magic to seem so mysterious it is labelled evil by the Church again? But maybe... just maybe... we have to tweak their mindsets, fine tune it to the sense that they realise how interesting, how nice, how BEAUTIFUL this art of magic is, instead of getting worked up on HOW magic is done.

Get people to see the whole picture; the result of the magic; the amazement it brings. The goal is not to fool; it is to entertain through amazement, and let them enjoy it.

Thank you for reading this long post on my thoughts.

oh..thats a long story..haha. :) .anyway, how do you know the churches labelled it as evil?

Well, they convicted people of being witches, etc. and burned them at the stake and did a whole lot of other evil, inhumane things.

I think an example of this would be the Salem witch trials.

Hey panpanpan. I gotta disagree with you on that.

From a layman's view, magic shouldn't have anything to do with trickery or sleight of hand. If the layman thinks that sleight of hand was involved, it isn't magic anymore.

In otherwords, many people (including myself) aren't good enough,yet. I still get comments like " wow his hands are very fast ". This means that my audience does not think that I am performing magic. They think I'm performing sleight of hand and I'm calling it magic.

Get what I mean?

And, I think magic is an exclusive art actually.

i dunno about your perception of magic, but to me, its being able to do anything anywhere, like OLD-kev said.

Ok, maybe my long story made some stuff a lot blurrer...

Bascially, these are the main points:

1. Man doesn't like others better than himself.

2. Thus we as magicians should NEVER think we are exclusive or unique as if we are the BEST and the MOST POWERFUL.

3. And therefore make it an "inclusive" performance art.

4. Get what I mean by inclusive art? Not to make magic common and boring, but to make it (and magicians ourselves) relate to audiences.

5. Quote: "That's why, we have to try our very best to let people realise magic IS a sacred and high form of performance art through amazement, yet it entertains and in fact RELATES to all of us, all of mankind. It has to be inclusive enough for everyone to relate to and enjoy, and at the same time realise magic's "might" and "power". "

Well I'm still a bit confused but I think I got you.

Anyway here's my stand.

1. I feel its great to make magic interactive. In other words, its fantastic if the magician can let the audience participate in his/her magic. However, it is not always necessary to perform interactive magic.

2. Magic is exclusive in my opinion. Its an art. A sacred art. Therefore secrets should be well kept. I would never EVER reveal how any form of magic is done.

Nick

The past certainly saw magic as something sacred, magical, very... 'dark'? Yet now magic's become a form of entertainment in this world, which can be a good thing, yet I personally feel the art should have remained as secretive as it was before, as underground as it was. These days, things have changed quite a bit... We'll just have to marvel at the specialty and respect the art as much as we can. :)

haha.. my friends think that magic is gay.. yep! they say that it is for noobs and gayshi*..haiz.. if only i could make them vanish..but i still get good reations despite their criticism.. haha anyway.. magic was considered a mysterious art.. well now most people know the double lift and are not impressed when you do a simple DL ACR..baladucci was good..till david blaine came along and mucked it up...haiz.. :angry:
cheers!

Audiences today are more discerning and sophisticated.

I have discussed this with Blackwing; I do not for one moment believe that people seriously attribute what I do to magic. Yes, there will be a handful that are doubtful and ask me questions about that little ghost I keep in a jar by my bed - but the vast majority will choose not to believe in "magic" as we understand it. While I know we as magicians hope to achieve "magic"; clearly we are deluding ourselvesif we think that we are successful.

On top of that, at the rate guys these days handle cards; with the killer 99 packet cuts and displays - nobody will believe that the selection is lost and that it rose to the top via "magic".

I have chosen to adopt more effective presentations that play to audiences' intelligence, rather than patronising them with stories of how black ink is heavier than red ink or how these cards eat other cards. I could give examples but it'll take too much. Blackwing should know what I'm referring to here.

Again, I'm by no means right. It works best for me in presenting effective magic for today's audiences.

i disagree with why magic is labelled as evil, man. It just goes to show how people misunderstand our tricks. Its skill and technique...not spells...lol

presentation is everything
If people are thinking that your hands are fast or it's "TRICKS" then i guess there is something got to do with your presentation.
Well if you want to present yourself as a gambling king, you are succesfull when your audience state that your hands are fast. BUT if you wanna present yourself as a MAGICian who do MAGIC, present it the right way.
even a pack of card can be magical


*btw anyone can get supplies of fresh blood or frozen blood from hospital? I'm thirsty.... :off:

that's how i present myself...

Basically , when one wants to show magic, one should first think thoroughly throught the whole presentation. and not rushing the effect. Link it with a simple patter and then improve on it as best as you could.

i think it all depends on how u want to present your magic, but most importantly are the people u perform to are entertained and they got something out of it.

If people dismiss your magic as mere digital dexterity, then is it still magic? And in today's world, it is unlikely that the church will be able to conduct unfair trials of magicians without creating public furor.

Presentation really helps alot to make people believed that magic is real...

But frankly speaking... Most of the audience knows that its just a trick not real magic.... Especially in Singapore where people are so smart
I performed magic to foreigners and the reactins was SO MUCH BETTER! They think its real magic! ;)

However in Singapore, this rarely happens.... Even if i tried my very BEST to make the piece of magic magical.... there'll be at least one or two who ask where you learn that TRICK from....*sign* :(

There was once after i finished my routine one of my audience actually say " Thats black... real magic right?" That is one of the best reaction one could get! However one of my friend just told him "Nah it's just magic tricks not real magic!" PooF!!! Now Real magic became magic trick.....That's REALLY magic!! *SIGN* :wacko:

i think its more of a cultural problem than an intellectual one.

and anyway, digital detertrity can also be a form of entertainment, although u would not call that magic anymore.

and i don't agree that "presentation" is everything, but it is an important aspect of the craft.