Magic Show

The latest touring show from the Hayward Gallery in London - Magic Show - has reached my city.

It definitely sounds like it covers the area of crossover I find so interesting (magic, art and magick). Here's a quick summary from their website:

Magic for some invites the creative agency of fantasy and illusion; for others it signals a licence to practice deception. Curated by Jonathan Allen & Sally O'Reilly, Magic Show considers both these approaches, taking fiction and trickery to be interwined, historically prevalent and culturally pivotal. The exhibition demonstrates how artists adopt the perception-shifting ploys of the theatrical magician to summon wonderment whilst simultaneously performing critique, but also reveals how strategic illusion and misdirection can be employed in more ominous contexts.

Before I have even gone to see the exhibition (and accompanying cabaret) this has led me off down unusual research paths to the Centre for Tactical Magic and their Ultimate Jacket.

At the earliest stages of research, it became apparent that private investigators, magicians, and ninjas all used secret pockets in their day-to-day activities. This discovery led the Center for Tactical Magic to develop the Ultimate Jacket, an inconspicuous, yet stylish, garment concealing no less than fifty secret pockets. Designed to hold a vast array of useful items for every day interdiction, the Ultimate Jacket is made from an abrasive-resistant, non-reflective, breatheable, waterproof material. Fully reversible with removable sleeves, the Ultimate Jacket is the perfect complement for any tactical operation, emergency situation, or social occasion.