Thanks to Nielsen Magic for permission to use the above image.
How many times have you heard someone say, perhaps on occasion even yourself, that seeing is believing? It is a common phrase that is spoken almost without thinking. But, is seeingreallybelieving? The fact of the matter is that believingis notknowing. This is a key point to always keep in mind. When you believe in something, in this instance, something that you may have seen, it implies having an unverifiable opinion that is purely based on appearances. It can also apply to testimony received from others who may have witnessed something. The truth is, this is not knowledge. Knowledge, as opposed to belief, is based on fact. And facts can be verified.
Our five senses allow us to learn about the world around us. Our vision, however, allows us to learn more about the world than any of our other four senses. In fact, our vision is utilized in almost every activity that we engage in: reading, writing, working, driving, watching television, etc. Arguably, most would agree that our ability to see is the most precious of our five senses. Although hypothetical, when asked what sense of the five would a person least like to lose, most would probably cite (no pun intended) that the losing of their vision would be the worst. From the moment you wake up in the morning, until the moment you go to sleep, your eyes are busy taking in information. This information is then relayed to your brain for interpretation. Of all the senses, sight is the richest and most complex. And because of this complexity, some of the visual illusions that fool us, can have such a profound, amazing and an almost magical quality about them.
Our sensory system of sight is, in one word, amazing! It can perform many incredible tasks. For example, with our vision we are able to discover constellations in the night sky, select the correct shade of colour we desire for our living room at the paint store or track a fly ball into a waiting glove. But how, exactly, do our eyes and brains recognize shape, movement, depth, and colour? How is it that we are able to do some of these tasks so easily and, yet, get so fooled by optical illusions?
Getting into the technical biological mechanisms involved in the process that allows us to have the sense of vision is beyond the scope and purpose of this website. Suffice it to say that the mind can be deceived through our sense of sight in many different ways. By utilizing some of these techniques, a conjuror is able to create effects and illusions that fool - and entertain - people. Add to this some of the psychological techniques that are utilized to enhance the visual experience and one can experience an event of seemingly miraculous proportions. As we have mentioned previously, experiencing these miraculous events is one thing when you are sitting in a theatre watching a conjuror entertain you. It takes on a much more serious tone, however, if someone is utilizing these techniques purporting they possess paranormal, parapsychological or pseudoscientific abilities.
We have all experienced optical illusions at one time or another. Some are more effective than others. Several powerful ones will be provided as examples below. However, a conjuror will rarely rely on an optical illusion to create an effect. Rather, other techniques are applied to aid in the successful deception of one's vision (or, more accurately, what their mind thought they saw). In the previous paragraph it was mentioned that a conjuror will utilize psychological techniques and principles to enhance the effectiveness of fooling the eyes (the mind). This is true. In fact, psychological techniques are a very important part of a conjuror's arsenal. But other techniques and principles are also utilized, such as: the use of kinetics or movement, positions and placements of objects, the size and distance of objects, the perspective of an object, colour, angles of vision, lighting, reflections and refractions, just to name a few.
As has been mentioned previously, we will not be exposing specific effects that conjurors use. At this time, though, it would be beneficial to examine a bit more closely how some of these techniques and principles are utilized, including the psychology used, in creating an effective illusion. Therefore, without revealing specifics, we will return to a previous discussion and look at the general illusion of levitation.
One of the most visually stunning effects in the conjuring arts is the levitation. When an individual watches a conjuror perform such an illusion, be it the levitation of an object or of a human being, despite the fact that they may be amazed and bewildered as to its accomplishment, the individual knows deep down inside that there is some logical, rational explanation. They may not know that answer but they do know that there is a trick or a secret involved. So, what exactly is involved in creating the illusion of a levitation.
Without getting into specifics, we all agree that it is impossible for anybody or anything to defy gravity - unless, of course, the object in question is lighter than air itself. This is a given. Anything that is heavier than air cannot float. So, the question is asked yet again, what exactly is going on when a conjuror seems to defy the law of gravity?
In conjuring, although an object or a human being may appear to have no physical connections as it floats effortlessly in the air, the reason for this is simple (and obvious, when you think about it) - the eye cannot see these physical connections. If you could see them, it would not be an illusion. That begs the question, why can't these physical connections be seen? The reason, again, is simple (when you know the answer) - these physical connections are arranged in such a way such that they do not reflect any light in the direction of the audience. The illusion of a levitation is further strengthened by having the floating object move seamlessly through the air. Add to this the passing of a solid hoop over the object to further dispell the idea that there are any physical connections. All of this gives psychological support to the idea that there are absolutely no controlled physical connections being utilized.
Now that we have had this generalized discussion of how and why the illusion of a levitation is so effective, I encourage you to take a moment and watch the pinnacle of this type of illusion, David Copperfield's incredible Flying. As you watch see how magical it truly is, despite knowing that it is impossible for a human to fly. Yes, as we all know, there may be physical connections involved, but this illusion is an excellent example of how a conjuror utilizes visual optical tricks, combined with psychological strategies, to create a jaw-dropping illusion. I hear some of you asking, "Okay, so, exactly how does David Copperfield fly?" One word - beautifully!
Let us now explore how our sense of sight can be fooled. Below are a number of different effects that can be performed that will effectively - and, perhaps, amazingly - illustrate this process. By clicking on one of the links below a new window will open. When finished just simply close the window and you will be back at this page ready to try another experiment. Hopefully you will gain some insight and amusement through these experiences. Enjoy!
