Marco Tempest is back with his spellbinding magic. And how! The much acclaimed techno-illusionist, best known for his PhoneCam and iPad magic, Marco Tempest returns this time with new tricks that augment the art of storytelling in books.
For all those to whom the name doesn’t ring a bell, here’s a brief outline. A new media artist par excellence, Marco Tempest redefines magic in the digital age by extraordinarily blending cutting-edge technology with creative ways of application of the same. That combined with his brilliant showmanship and flair for storytelling immediately manages to cast a spell upon one and all.
In his latest project celebrating the genius of inventor Nikola Tesla, Marco transforms the pages of a book into a riveting theatrical show using state of the art technology that has one asking for more. With a sleight of his hand and the technical wizardry he is well known for, Marco breathes lives into the pages of a book using the reinvented technique of projection mapping augmented onto 3D pop-up books, masks and objects. And lo and behold! What we have is each page animatedly popping up with projected visuals that are mapped to perfection. The pages turn to unveil the story of the unprecedented accomplishments of Nikola Tesla, one of the world’s greatest inventors. From his groundbreaking ideas to his tragic last days as a recluse, Marco recreates his life story, in a seemingly magical way, by adding a dash of his own spells to the potion. He conjures up the images of his life in a manner that truly exemplifies Tesla’s genius, at the same time living up to his own well-earned epithet of being the greatest virtual magician.
Marco’s act is also a remediation of the age old technique of Tanagra theatre, popular in the early part of the last century where, using mirrors, a tiny image of an actor would be projected on the stage. Instead of mirrors however Tempest artfully integrates the mediums of live projection mapping and tracking, pop-up art and digital animation. The seamless integration replete with the cinematic quality music and impeccable narration epitomizes his truly trans-disciplinary nature of work.
So without much further ado, watch as Marco’s virtual magic unfolds in the video below.
Hey presto, the magic is not over just yet! As always operating within the realms of science and logic, and wanting to make his magic tricks understood, he reveals the making of the augmented book. Take a look below at the behind-the-scenes unveiling of the projection mapping that brings the pop-up book to life.
With his seemingly endless plethora of digitally enhanced magic tricks up his sleeve, I wonder what Marco Tempest has in store for us next?!
No related posts.