Dustings #35
/Here’s an interesting idea from Michal Kociolek (who is also the person responsible for the April 1st—Vanishing Inc meets The Jerx header image).
It’s a way of transferring a signature from one card to another. So someone could sign this card:
And you’d end up with the signature on this card:
I’ll get to the method in a second. It’s pretty clever. But it can’t be done during a performance (unless you had someone assisting you backstage). That raises the question if there’s any real benefit to a signature transfer that can’t be done in performance. If you signed something at one point and later I show you that signature on something else at another point, I feel like you’re just going to assume I copied the signature, yes? So to really take advantage of this method, it would need to be in a context where “you just copied my signature” isn’t a viable other explanation.
But let’s get to the method. First I’ll explain it with pictures, then I’ll give you Mihcal’s written explanation.
Here it is…
“The thing that is used to cover the back of the Tally Ho card is a peel off face mask gel that dries down and, apart from creating a slightly more reflective surface than the regular card has, is practically invisible. It's a pretty weird thing to work with, as you can handle the card like it's nothing special.
After moving the layer with the signature, the outer side is not tacky at all, and you can work on the edges to blend everything nicely (the gel layer dissolves if you use, for example, a slightly damp sponge. Or just use a finger to "model" it). Again, the surface is just a tiny bit shinier than a regular card.
(If you'd stick that card into a clear block of ice, that minimal distortion would make it totally invisible, for example.)”
So yeah, I think it’s a method in search of an ideal application at this point.
You may also want to consider it as a way to duplicate a signature as opposed to just transfer one. For example, if someone signs a card (a normal card) at some point, you could later cover it with the face mask material. Then duplicate their signature on top of the face mask. Peel it off and apply it to a duplicate card. Now you have two identical signed cards which could be useful for a burned and regenerated type of card, or anything along those lines.
But again, my imagination is failing me at coming up with a situation where this would be the best option. If you think of something, let me know.
Here are the ingredients in the face mask Michal uses. If you want to experiment with it and try something similar.
Some days I like to sit alone in a room for hours and meditate on this page from an old issue of Penguin Magic Monthly.
This is a “gag” according to the magazine. Here is the entirety of what they tell you to do.
That’s it. That’s the end of this entry in the magazine. Place an eyeball on a pad. I imagine you’re then supposed to say, “It’s an iPad,” or something “funny” like that, but they don’t really delve into what you’re supposed to do after you’ve placed the eye on the pad. I guess you just wait for the hysterical laughter and cries of “This is the funniest magician I’ve ever seen!” to end so you can move on with your show.
I particularly like this part…
Mmm… yes, yes. So true. If there’s one thing you can say about the act of putting an eyeball on a drawing pad it’s that you are invoking the rich artistic history of using “iconic words and images that people can relate to.”
Great to see Michael Feldman on Fool Us last week wearing his GLOMM membership shirt.
Didn’t see anyone else on the show wearing a GLOMM shirt—the GLOMM of course being the one magic organization you’re not allowed to be in if you’re a sex offender—so yeah, that kind of made me wonder. 🤔
This is kind of interesting.
Some early depictions of Jesus show him using a magic wand. pic.twitter.com/vBI1U1GM2E
— Museum Archive (@ArtifactsHub) April 11, 2021
And then there’s this…
