Art build on history, society and technology. The Surrealism art movement started about a century ago. People were inspired by Freud’s study of the mind and the desire for freedom in the post WWI society to explore and let loose their subconscious.
Whereas the dreamlike nature of surrealist art is a product of the artist’s attempts to tap into the unconscious mind, it is a necessity in magic. Magical is an inherently surreal art form. A bunch of procedure that may not quite make sense or have any apparent purpose happens and then a surprising conclusion presents itself. Endut. Hoch hech.
This recent performance with Piff the Magic Dragon on Fool Us takes surrealism to the next level.
There’s no reason for anything. Why the horse costume? Is it just to make horse puns? Or the food or jumprope. I suppose a magic trick needed to be performed somewhere in there.
I’m very interested to see how much, if any, of this style will permeate the industry. It requires a lot of different props which are difficult to carry, especially for those who often fly to gigs.
You also probably can’t fill your entire show with stuff like this. Otherwise the audience will be left with the same reaction as Penn Jillette.
