This was our first lecture for the year 2021. Because of the ongoing pandemic, this was a virtual lecture conducted over Zoom.
This was our first lecture for the year 2021. Because of the ongoing pandemic, this was a virtual lecture conducted over Zoom.
It took place on the evening of 15th April 2021 from 7.30 pm to 10.00 pm, and attracted an attendance of 34 people.
After a brief introduction by our host Tommy Chiang, David Jonathan commenced his lecture with an effect he named “Fourtunate”. David made a prediction on the back of a card case. Cards were dealt onto the table and one card was randomly selected. This card matched exactly the prediction he wrote on the back of the card case.
David continued with his second effect called “Fortuity”. He displayed a rainbow deck. A spectator rolled a pair of imaginary dice. The sum of the 2 dice was used to select a back design from the rainbow deck. The spectator was given a choice to count either from the top or from the bottom of the deck. In the same manner, using the same pair of dice to roll to another total, the value of a card was noted. A prediction envelope placed conspicuously on the table was shown to contain the very card randomly created by the spectator.
The third effect involved Stroop Cards. 8 cards depicting the names of 8 different colours printed in 8 different colours were shown. A colour was freely chosen, and that colour was shown to be unmistakeably predicted in advance.
This was followed by a 10 minutes break. After the interval, David gave a crash course on how to create original magic. He elaborated on 4 special approaches and 4 steps. The knowledge we gained also helped us improve our magical performance.
David then showed and explained a very clean and straight forward ACAAN for virtual shows. A spectator named a card and another spectator named a number. David dealt cards to this named number. The card at this number turned out to be the named card. To show that there could not be any other outcome, the rest of the cards in the deck were shown to be blanks.
Next was an effect using the 5 ESP symbols. A symbol was chosen and when the 5 cards were turned over, their backs spelt the message “YOU WILL CHOOSE THE SQUARE” or whatever symbol that was selected. This made use of an interesting principle called TMP or “Take My Place”.
A UNO deck of cards comprising 4 different colour sets of numbers was thoroughly mixed. One of the 4 colours was named. The first 3 cards from this selected colour were taken out of the deck. They matched exactly a prediction placed on the table earlier.
In the final effect, David performed and explained an interesting book test using the classic book entitled “1984” by George Orwell, and the SNAPS photograph cards. 9 cards were chosen and inserted in different parts of the book. 8 cards were then taken out, leaving only one card in the book. The top line on the page inserted by this card was read out – it involved an airplane. The card was turned over and it had the photograph of an airplane. The 8 discarded cards were gathered and turned over. The 8 photographs formed the word A-I-R-P-L-A-N-E.
To round up the lecture, David offered us special discounted bundled prices of his marketed effects. His parting statement to all of us at Ring 115 was simply to have fun with magic because there are too much negativity of magic and magicians in the social media.
All who attended agreed that this was an enjoyable evening. David Jonathan is an excellent communicator. His lecture was very well structured and presented. He used 2 cameras so that we could see his face as well as a close-up shot of his hands performing the various effects. His tricks were well-thought-out and depended on subtleties rather than heavy sleight-of-hand. They all contain multiple levels of deception that is typical of David’s devious thinking.
