The Magicologist is an online scientific magazine dedicated to the study of the art and psychology of performance magic. 

 

Magicology is the psychology of the interactions of magicians and spectators.  The scientist approaches the interaction by constructing experiments, and carrying them out in controlled settings.  Measurements are taken.  Data are compiled.  All experiments are documented in the finest detail.  This is science.  As in any psychological study, Magicology must be involved with the subjective, always a difficult tightrope to walk, but at the same time Magicology must be as objective as possible.

 

First some ground rules for this site.  Magicians are very protective of their secrets.  The Internet works against secrecy, and many tricks are described in cyberspace, depriving spectators of the full power of the magician's performances.  This site will not reveal secrets but will take the role of the spectator for the most part.  It is not necessary to know exactly how the trick is done to measure the spectator's reaction to it.

Perhaps it is best to start out by discussing the principles of sleights-of-hand as presented by Teller:

 

THE SEVEN SLEIGHTS

A sleight, pronounced "slite", is a controlled and disciplined manipulation of any combination of physical objects.  The purpose of a sleight is to deceive, to create an illusion.  Without the spectator's involvement the sleight would be meaningless.  After all, if you, the magician, have no audience and you know all the details of a trick, you will most certainly not be tricked.  It is what the spectator perceives that gives meaning to the sleight.  Here are the seven sleights as described by Teller.

 

PALM

To "palm" is to conceal an object, generally, in the palm of the hand, or thumb, or fingers.  There are several kinds of palm, including the Classic, Thumb, Downs, Back and Finger. 

 

Magicological Concepts:  What can we learn from the art of palming objects?  Perhaps we can find the "perfect palm", totally secure, graceful and effective.  How would we measure that?

 

DITCH

A "ditch" is a quick disposal of an object in a way that the spectator will not notice.

 

Magicological Concepts: What are the timing and concealment aspects of a ditch?

 

STEAL

To "steal" an object is to bring the object out of a concealed place, like a pocket.  Timing and misdirection (see later) are combined to create an illusion perceived by the spectator.

  

Magicological Concepts:    Is one conceal better than another?  What are the perceptual components of a steal?

 

SIMULATE

In order to "simulate" an object you artfully display it so that it appears to be another object.  Teller uses the example of a pencil simulating a cigarette.

 

Magicological Concepts: How do people perceive objects? Is there a kind of category that generalizes the appearance of an object, within which the specific character of the object is subordinate.

 

LOAD

A "load" is the act of removing objects from some source, thus "loading" them into the hand or a device. 

 

Magicological Concepts:  How is the spectator deceived by the timing of the move of an object from one location to another?

 

MISDIRECT

When the magician "misdirects" the spectator, the magician creates a distraction in one direction while simultaneously performing a concealed action in the opposite direction.

 

Magicological Concepts:  What are the techniques used in misdirection and how do they influence the human mind?

 

SWITCH

Finally, the "switch" is the exchange of one object for another, making the objects appear to have changed places.


Magicological Concepts:  What techniques are used to switch objects?  How do timing and other factors play on the spectator?

 

SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF

Spectators may know how a trick is performed, yet they still enjoy the mystery of it.  People want to be deceived!  In order to be entertained, the spectator is willing to go along with the magician, up to a point.  Usually, that point is reached when the magician makes a mistake.  The spectator is bored, and boredom is the worst sin of all.  Make 'em laugh!  Keep 'em laughing.

 

P. T. Barnum, the great circus entrepreneur, famously said, "There's a sucker born every minute."  That phrase was coined at the turn of the century in response to a news story about the recent national census.  The census reported that a child was born in the United States every minute.  So, the "sucker" was the child, and the "sucker" was also the gullible spectator.  Although Barnum's view was cynical, he was nevertheless expressing a fact.  The "layman", the person ignorant of the way a trick works, is fooled by the trickster.  The inexperienced magician may get a kick out of deceiving gullible fools, but in the end it is the "sucker" who suspends his or her disbelief in order to be entertained.  The experienced magician becomes a servant of the spectator and a provider of delight.

 

 

LARGE MOTIONS MASK SMALL ONES

The magician makes a broad, sweeping motion with both arms while palming a coin. By using large motions, the smaller ones go unnoticed.

 

If the hand moves in a straight line while masking a sleight, the spectator anticipates the position of the endpoint of the move. This masking motion is not as effective as an "arc", or "swooping" motion because the end position of an arc movement cannot be as easily anticipated.

 

LEVITATION

 

Threads

Experiment to quantify the "invisibility" of threads. A precisely measured thread is viewed from different distances and against different backgrounds. The results are quantified using a questionnaire.

 

What are the properties of threads? The materials? Thicknesses? Elasticity?

 

New ideas for materials like Kevlar. Nanotechnology could investigate monofilament carbon nanotubes to provide exceptional strength.

 

Actually, nanothick filaments could be quite dangerous. The invisible thread could cut through flesh like butter.

 

 

Large Objects

 

ESCAPE

 

VANISH

 

MENTALISM

 

CARD TRICKS

 

SPIRITUALISM

The Great Harry Houdini started out believing in the spirit world, and experimented in it up to a point. He began to discover that for every spirit invocation there was a trick of some kind involved. This discovery led him to give up seances, and to go against the entrenched world of spiritualists and mediums, a decision that may have played a big part in his death.

In spite of the probability that there are no ghosts, or at least that the spirits that may exist are evidently awfully shy, it is entertaining to play tricks with the human mind. Psychologists have done many experiments that led them to hypothesize that people are extremely suggestable. Evidently it is easier than we might think to get people to believe in the darndest things. Magicians, of course, know this phenomenon quite well. Where the individual is required to approach the world with "faith", usually of the "blind" variety, religion operates under the very definition of "magic." And the religious are very difficult to argue with precisely because of this "stubborn" tendency of humans. Change is not comfortable or necessarily safe.

Knowing how to deceive people by exploiting the tendency to strongly believe with little proof is the bread and butter of the magician.

 

TELEKINESIS

 

...more to come!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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