A magician’s history of concealed pouches, hidden pockets and mysterious drawers.

Description

Magicians employ many technologies to enhance their tricks and illusions. We often hear of smoke and mirrors, trapdoors and secret compartments, but what about the technologies involved in the use of pouches, pockets and drawers? These are sometimes used openly in the case of the Gibecière and the Egg Bag or more often in secret such as techniques that use the poacher’s pouch or, as it is more commonly referred to in magic parlance, the Topit.
Pockets, pouches and drawers are an important tool in the arsenal of the magician, allowing objects to appear, disappear and transform. They have a complex relationship to the person and the persona of the magician.
Drawing on a vast library of material intended only for magicians, this paper will present an examination into a magician’s relationship with the technology of the hidden in clothing, on the person and in the magic prop. How are pockets employed in the prediction of a playing card, how might a black cloth pouch make eggs vanish, and how might a box transform a flame into a live dove?

Period	4 Dec 2021
Event title	Pockets, Pouches & Secret Drawers
Event type	Conference
Location	London, United KingdomShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International