arts // no. 8

Are you watching closely?

> The secret history of street magic

Adam Tatelman
Arts Editor

 

he art of street magic may

have been popularized
by David Blaine, but those
who believe he invented it are
mistaken. One of the most
famous artistic depictions of
street magic ever documented
is The Conjurer, a Hieronymus
Bosch painting from the
late 1400s—but street magic
itself is believed to have
existed even 3,000 years ago
as a particularly flamboyant
method of busking, with roots
in Eastern European, Western
European, and Asian countries.

While the tricks of today

may be more elaborate than
those of the past, that’s merely
because technology has advanced
so much; the basic methods
of magic remain much as they
were in the past millennia.
Tricks are usually separated into
different categories depending
on their execution. These
include card magic, which uses
sleight of hand techniques
perfected by card sharps
throughout history; illusionism,
in which ordinary objects
appear to do extraordinary
things; and mentalism, in
which the magician appears to
have powerful mind-reading
or clairvoyant abilities.
Depending on the setting,
these tricks may be adjusted

for maximum effect in either
close-up or big-scale stage
presentations. What we know
as street magic today is typically
characterized by cold approaches
with no prep time. This actually
enhances the illusion by placing
all the focus on the magician,
rather than his venue. Levitation
tricks are particularly popular
with street magicians, since
accomplishing such with no
assistants or props of any kind
is sure to stun the audience.
Most magicians operate by
Thurston’s rules, so named for
the magician who supposedly
coined them. First, never reveal
the trick’s methods to anyone,
unless you specifically choose
to train them in the art—

  

otherwise, you'll cheapen the
trick for anyone who might use
it in the future. Secondly, don’t
present a trick until you are sure
you've perfected it. Finally, don’t
perform the same trick for the
same audience twice. If you do,
they’re going to focus more on
trying to figure out your routine.
This also keeps magicians in
search of fresh material.

Despite the literary archetype
of the mischievous magician, the
magician’s community generally
frowns upon the malicious
use of magic tricks—that is,
conning or humiliating people
with magic. According to the
members of the UBC Magicians
& Illusionists Association, the
purpose of magic is not to deceive

theotherpress.ca

Image via artinprint.org

people, but to give them a sense
of wonder and hope. Essentially,
to help people believe in the
impossible, even for a moment.
So, how does one get started
in the practice of magic? Really,
you just have to decide to. It isn’t
difficult to learn tricks from those
who know the score, provided
you promise to keep their secrets.
The more you learn, the easier
it will be to invent tricks of your
own. That’s where the fun really
begins. People will try to sell
you all kinds of magic kits and
fancy presentational gear, but
none of it is actually necessary
to those who just want to wow
an audience. In this way, street
performers reveal the greatest
secret of magic: Anyone can do it.

Chairman of the Board: Fun feline fiasco

> ‘Exploding Kittens’ game review

Ed Appleby
Illustrator

 

he fun of the game

is not always in the
mechanics. Sometimes it
just takes a madman to come
up with an insane premise
and execute it well.

Exploding Kittens (2015) isa
card game for two-five players,
designed and published by
Matthew Inman, Elan Lee, and
Shane Small. The game is based
on a simple concept; players
draw cards until they draw an
“exploding kitten,” at which
point they are eliminated. All
other cards influence how the
game is run, forcing people to
draw cards, look at the deck, or
steal cards from other players.
The last player standing wins.

For such a simple game,

I found the play to be pretty
intense. The risks of drawing

cards are huge, and there is a very
strong player-vs-player aspect.
Such a simple game wouldn't
warrant much note, but this game
also has the benefit of Matthew
Inman’s sense of humour and
comic art style. Although the
Oatmeal artist’s work may not
appeal to everyone, those who
do like it will love this game.
Strategy plays a huge part
in the game, since multiple
players are always trying to
control the deck. The game
can also be expanded upon,
with the Basic deck, the NSFW
(Not Safe For Work) deck, and
various expansions upping
the number of players that
can enjoy the game at once.
Again, the style of game
isn’t for everyone, but if you
and your friends are familiar
with Inman’s work, or have a
little bit of a sadistic streak, I
would check this game out.

 

Illustration by Ed Appleby