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  • Tue. Nov 5th, 2024

Within the secretive world of Australia’s award-winning magicians – Sydney Morning Herald

Within the secretive world of Australia’s award-winning magicians – Sydney Morning Herald

Every three years, one of the best of one of the best within the realm of magic occasion for FISM (Federation Internationale des Societes Magiques) – or, as it’s extra affectionately identified, “the olympics of magic”. It’s prestigious and selective, with every nation supreme allowed to ship a position sequence of competitors.

“There are a range of magic competitions round the globe,” says Australian magician Dom Chambers. “But right here is the ample one.”

Melbourne magician Dom Chambers.Credit:Monica Pronk

Final month, Chambers stepped onto the FISM stage, competing in card magic, one in all essentially the most serious and effectively-respected categories on the competition. “Card magic is indubitably essentially the most humble, just correct genre of magic – it’s correct a pair of hands and 52 bits of cardboard internal them,” he reflects. Chambers’ trick involved the light deck of cards, a pockets … and a condom that finally ends up pulled over his head. “I believed it would possibly maybe maybe maybe also be droll to enter that category, after which correct fully subvert the genre and attain essentially the most tedious thing that I could maybe maybe judge. And that’s what I did.”

The trick is indubitably impressive on a magic level while also being fully ridiculous – and so the response used to be divided. He got a standing ovation together with a helping of criticism. “One of many critiques at FISM stated this routine didn’t belong at an arts championship, it belonged at a drunk frat celebration. I stated, ‘Thank you for the praise’.”

Chambers, who lives in Melbourne, tumble in love with magic when launched to it by his grandfather, who learned tricks to join alongside with his grandchildren. From there, Chambers threw himself into the craft and started working as a magician when he used to be an adolescent and correct never stopped. He used to be a semi-finalist on The US’s Bought Skill and has regarded on Penn & Teller: Fool Us! Magic is his full-time profession – if he isn’t performing in a demonstrate, he’s constructing one. His work blends humour and magic skill, mixing the absurd and the out of the ordinary. Alcohol and cigarettes are assuredly folded into his tricks, whether that’s making smoke appear from a hand or a beer materialise from nothing.

There were two a range of Australians competing at FISM this year, Sydney’s Vincent Kuo and Melbourne’s Simon Coronel (though officially the latter used to be representing North The US) – and all three Australians made their marks in very a range of programs. “Vincent, Australia’s wonderkid of magic … came 2d supreme to 1 in all the gargantuan end-up magicians of all time, Shoot Ogawa,” says Chambers. Coronel used to be the total winner – making him the original world champion – with a thoughts-bending routine engrossing a dissected card and a ring that he has been constructing for 15 years. “He did one of the best single trick I indubitably respect ever seen … His victory is correct crazy. No Australian has ever received FISM sooner than,” Chambers says.

“In Australia, we correct bat to this point above the build we must by arrangement of magic,” he continues. “I can’t be conscious the rest time a greenback has been place aside into it in direction of magic in Australia. We’re on our possess.”

Tim Ellis, magician and ingenious director of the Melbourne Magic Festival.Credit:Simon Schluter

Tim Ellis, ingenious director of the Melbourne Magic Festival, one in all the largest Australian gatherings of magicians, says: “Now we were surviving and thriving without authorities toughen.” He elements to the a range of magic events that utilize position round Australia a week and the annual Magic Festival which supports magicians to innovate. “I strive to rent your complete rooms out so as that if you promote 10 tickets, you spoil even, which just is not like any a range of festival within the realm,” Ellis explains. “As ingenious director, I’m doubtlessly noteworthy extra in favour of selecting a fraction to be within the festival if it’s going to divide the target audience in half of.”

Australia is uncommon within the model that magicians toughen every other. There are accepted meetings and workshops. “Magic in most areas, and most historical previous, has been a solo profession – all secrets and programs are guarded,” says Ellis. “Someone would possibly maybe maybe be love, ‘I’ve got this gargantuan original trick, I received’t demonstrate somebody, they would possibly maybe maybe copy it’. Our philosophy is demonstrate all people your trick and you set aside a express to it. And if somebody takes it without asking, they’re drummed out of the group.”

The trick Chambers accomplished has its origins in an annual improv magic occasion known as MagicSports creep by Ellis. People of the target audience give magicians things they’ve readily accessible, with the performer then desiring to make verbalize of those of their act. Chambers, as you would possibly maybe maybe maybe seemingly guess, used to be handed a condom.

When Ellis spoke with Chambers sooner than the championships, he had an inkling how things would trail. “Having been a make a resolution myself on several FISMs, I was going, effectively, he received’t safe effectively however he’ll uncover a gargantuan response from the target audience – and that’s exactly what came about.”

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The Australians’ efficiency at FISM this year demonstrates that that you just would possibly maybe maybe love and excel at magic and pursue it in a range of programs. It’s about innovation – whether that be in a draw that wins awards or that pushes at boundaries and target audience expectations.

So, is Chambers going to head back and compete yet again in three years? “I believe my FISM trip is complete – I believe I’ve accomplished what I must attain on the realm stage of aggressive magic,” he says with fun. “But I believe that magic would possibly maybe maybe very effectively be taken to just a few in actuality, in actuality wintry areas that we haven’t seen yet. That’s surely fragment of what excites me after I uncover magic is doing something and taking it to a position that no person’s taken up sooner than. Bonus if it’s something that I believe is de facto droll.”

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