The “Give Away” concept was coined by Gabi to refer to a technique of construction whereby a magical effect (or secret move) is replaced by an overt non-magical action in order to fulfill the same internal or external purpose.
For Gabi, the magical atmosphere is not determined by the number of effects, but rather on their quality and meaning.
That is why it is sometimes possible, usually in the context of a routine where the same effect has to be repeated several times, to replace one of the effects for a non-magical action.
For example, in one particular version of Vernon’s “Twisting the Aces”, (which is actually “Twisting the Ace, Two, Three and Four of Spades”), instead of having all four cards magically turn face up one by one, Gabi dispenses with the first effect. Gabi’s reasoning is that turning over the first card (the Ace) magically would require a technical solution (like a secret turn over) and not a particularly elegant one at that. By removing this first effect,the solution for the rest of the effect becomes very organic and pure. Of course, we cannot simply omit the first effect entirely since the four cards are meant to appear in numerical order.
Gabi found the solution, as he did so often, in the External Life of the effect. To begin the routine, the magician shuffles the four cards and fans them out. After referring to the chaos that’s just been created he asks the spectator to take the Ace of Spades, turn it face down and return it back to its position, explaining that this symbolic action will work as an invocation for the magic to happen, restoring the natural order. After turning the packet face down, the cards then proceed to magically turn face up in order, starting with the Two, followed by the Three and finally the Four.
Gabi argues that in this context the spectator wouldn’t miss the first effect consciously or subconsciously. He thinks that the spectator’s experience would relate to the whole, and not to each individual part of the effect. Given that the Ace was integrated in the theme of the routine, the fact that it turned over meaningfully (though admittedly not magically), means that no spectator would notice the formal detail that not all four cards were turned over magically. In any case, this is not a requirement for the magician-prestidigitator since he never announced that he would do so beforehand.
In many similar situations, an effect (or even just a secret move) can be replaced by an open action (External Life), so instead of hiding the move, the magician “gives it away”, hence the name of the concept.
Needless to say, each individual case has its own unique constraints, requirements and, ultimately, solutions which have to be carefully considered.
29 авг 2024
