Lumainto 2014: Card Table Artifice and Bullet Catch

[Julie Eng]

That's right! We're at it again in Toronto in association with the Luminato Festival with this year's program, Transgressive Magic: http://www.magicana.com/performances/luminato-2014/. Watch David Ben has he describes this year's shows including a new work, Card Table Artifice, Rob Zabrecky's TURN ON THE DARK! and Rob Drummond in Bullet Catch.

Bullet Catch: http://www.magicana.com/performances/luminato-2014/bullet-catch/
Card Table Artifice: http://www.magicana.com/performances/luminato-2014/card-table-artifice/

From the press release:

Luminato Festival, in collaboration with Magicana, is proud to present two extraordinary magic shows; the world premiere of CARD TABLE ARTIFICE, and the Canadian premiere of BULLET CATCH.

“Working with David Ben from Magicana is a complete joy – he understands the magic of challenges, and there are no tricks about what he tries to accomplish. That we are creating a new version of Gavin Bryar’s earlier piece A Man in a Room, Gambling is wonderful,” said Luminato Festival Artistic Director Jorn Weisbrodt.

The World Premiere of CARD TABLE ARTIFICE is 112 years in the making. A book from 1902 entitled The Expert at the Card Table has inspired generations of magicians, and unexpectedly, in 1992, a collaboration by renowned composer Gavin Bryars and Spanish poet/sculptor Juan Muñoz. Now, David Ben, master sleight-of-hand artist, brings fresh perspective to their work with CARD TABLE ARTIFICE, performed by the Art of Time Ensemble, accompanied by Bryars, with narration by R.H. Thomson and card table magic by Ben.

“[David Ben] is magic; that’s all you need to know.” The Toronto Star

Setting the stage for CARD TABLE ARTIFICE is Magic Castle Stage Magician of the Year, Rob Zabrecky with TURN ON THE DARK!, 45 minutes of comically macabre illusion.

Inspired by the case of William Henderson, who was apparently killed in front of 2,000 people while performing the exploit in 1912; Rob Drummond embodies William Wonder in BULLET CATCH and traces the life and demise of Henderson. Drummond has performed BULLET CATCH all over the world since its debut in 2012 at the Edinburgh Festival where it received the Total Theatre Award for Innovation, Experimentation and Playing with Form. This Canadian Premiere is filled with storytelling, mindreading, levitation and games of chance. Of course, this all leads to the most notorious finale in the world of magic. Having claimed the lives of many magicians, it is a feat so dangerous even Houdini refused to ever attempt the act.

“The lead up to the finale — the bullet catch — is gripping… Drummond, who is loaded with quiet Scottish charm, produces a show that is intimate, thoughtful and hypnotic. It leaves the audience awe-struck.” The Huffington Post

“The shows in the Transgressive Magic program at Luminato Festival violate a law, command, or moral code. They challenge form and function, and take the magic, the magician and the audience outside the traditionalist’s comfort zone of top hats, bunny rabbits and family-friendly fare,” said Magicana Artistic Director David Ben. “Most of all, it makes us keenly aware of the depth and beauty of the unknown.”

[Bill Mullins]

Inspired by the case of William Henderson, who was apparently killed in front of 2,000 people while performing the exploit in 1912; Rob Drummond embodies William Wonder in BULLET CATCH and traces the life and demise of Henderson.

William Henderson? I don't see his name come up in any of my searches of "bullet catch dead people list". Perhaps this is a made-up backstory for the theatrical performance? (not that there's anything wrong with that)

[Jim Martin]

This looks like a great collaboration.

Here is a 4:53 link of Gavin Bryars discussing (and with some performance excerpts of his 2008 performance of "A Man in a Room, Gambling") his musical collaboration with the artist Juan Muñoz.

http://www.tate.org.uk/context-comment/ ... juan-munoz