Welcome to another Tuesday with TED. Today we have magician and illusionist Marco Tempest, who blends cutting-edge technology with the flair and showmanship of Houdini. Through his art, Tempest creates a highly entertaining way to be entranced by the reality-bending tech magic that surrounds us all every day. He says: “I blend the line between what is incredibly real and what is incredibly not.”
Tempest’s imaginative combination of computer-generated imagery, quick-cut video, and enthusiastic stage presence has earned him a place in the pantheon of great illusionists. At 22, the Swiss magician won the New York World Cup of Magic, launching him into international prominence. His lively phonecam postings on YouTube , done without post-production and video-editing tricks to astonished people on the street, get millions of views. At the MIT Media Lab, Tempest is researching the link between magic and technology as a Director’s Fellow.
Using three iPods like magical props, Tempest spins a clever, surprisingly heartfelt meditation on truth and lies, art and emotion.
Fiction writers often talk about telling lies to get to the truth. As a writer of memoir, I try to avoid lies in my search for the truth. Where do you fall on this spectrum and what did you think about Marco Tempest’s take on truth and deception?
Until next time,
Cynthia Patton