Conjuring at Turin
Two important schools of magic
Conjuring, or sleight of hand, is an art expressed especially with the ability
of one's hands (which have to be faster than the public's eye) and with
a lot of imagination. The ingenious tricks presented by wizards, conjurers,
illusionists and jugglers have always fascinated and excited people.
As a form of artistic entertainment, magic has always contained an element
of marvel and often reached into the unbelievable. Even the most perfect
of tricks, however, uses psychological moments besides manual dexterity
and fast movements. Any great illusionist must therefore be a good psychologist
who can play the role of a magician. To capture the public's attention a
wizard has to "live" the magic action; when reaching out to pick
a ball that's suddenly appeared in empty space a wizard has to believe the
ball's actually there or, better still create it, the very moment it appears,
even though consciously engaged in the purely technical and manual gesture.
An artist must never go beyond the basic feature of conjuring: to astonish while
amusing.
Two amateur conjuring groups operate at Turin: the Bartolomeo Magic Club and
the Friends of Magic Club. Besides teaching the art of conjuring with their
acts and public demonstrations, they tend to separate art from hoax.
In 1793, Turin gave birth to one of the greatest conjurers of all times:
Bartolomeo Bosco. Thanks to his extraordinary talents he
succeeded in having the theatres of all the major towns open their doors
to his performances, a thing unheard of for his times. Magic was all his
life; he performed his tricks wherever he was, in the streets, in the taverns
and on coaches: He was very popular with the courts of the Tsars, Emperors
and Rulers all over Europe.
The Aventures de Bartolomeo Bosco de Turin, professeur de prestidigitation,
published in 1852, are proof of the legendary fame enjoyed by the great
Turin illusionist, who gave a remarkable contribution to the ancient art
of entertaining deception.
Wherever this famous conjurer appeared, he fondly underscored his Turinese
origin, to the point that his name was automatically referred to our town.
It might be a good idea if Turin were to commemorate this famous citizen
with a road in his name.
It's no coincidence that Turin is nicknamed the magic town, as Lyons, Prague and
London ...