| art.description.project | Strategies of Magic #4 took place at Antechamber - Project Space for Drawing and Other Research in Copenhagen and was my first time working with Thomas Dahl. In this edition, we drew upon his own performative practice and focused on the relationship between translation, transformation and identity as a central theme. Playing the part of the Illusionist myself, I was simultaneously addressing the populist polititian who effortlessly makes the rabbit –or the problem– go away before of an audience willing to believe in the trick. Meanwhile, Thomas was inhabiting the role of the Illusionists assistant as well as that of simultaneous interpretor, mediating my (English) lecture to the audience in a number of different languages; Russian, German, Hungarian, Spanish, sign language etcetera. Working with the gap that is the inavoidable consequence of translation, he pointed to the message that emerges between two languages in the process of interpretation. The performance also contained a number of poems experimenting with alternative ways of perceiving the world, a discussion on economy and a vast number of magic tricks; among those the production and vanishing of various objects, the Table Cloth Trick, a levitation-act and a version of the legendary Bullet Catch, where the Illusionist catches a bullet discharged from a Glock pistol by the assistant in her mouth. Strategies of Magic #4 lasted for approximately 70 minutes and was divided in two acts with a pause between them, where lonuge-music was played and drinks were being served. Having concluded the magic show, some physical remains of the requisites used in the show were relinquished to the exhibition-space as a gift and as a permanent installation. | |
| art.description.summary | Strategies Of Magic is a lecture performance which discusses the concept of magic in relation to political and philosophical questions regarding power structures, hierarchies of knowledge, identity and gender. The lecture is intertwined with poetry, music and magic, where the purpose is to reveal rather than disguise the trick. Each edition is a unique one, including new material. The project has also involved shifting collaborators - currently Swedish artist Thomas Dahl. | |
