Inverness Museum & Art Gallery, Inverness, until 18 December 2009

Magic books

NOW YOU SEE IT…A Short History of Magic and Conjuring

gives a tantalising glimpse into the art of magic and illusion. I have seldom seen the IMAG gallery space so imaginatively transformed, with beautifully decorative 19th century posters and playbills, red velvet curtains, old theatrical seating, thematic labelling and a dimly lit air of mystery, all wonderfully in tune with the subject matter.

The show is comprised of a number of elements, some of which beg further investigation and future development.

On display are a selection of conjuring memorabilia and stage apparatus, a series of 15 screenprints by Edinburgh based artist Sharon Whyte, and a film by Graeme Roger and Kevin Reid, The Wizard Is Coming, featuring interviews with curator and magician Dean Melville, Past President of SMS and Perth Magic Circle Adrian Harris, Curator of the Scottish Magic Archive Gordon Bruce and magician Matthew Fraser.

The main gallery space is also occupied by a series of distorted mirrors and poster projections by Arts In Motion, highlighting the exotic and imaginative spectacle of a bygone age when theatre, sideshow and travelling circus were the popular entertainments of the day.

It is interesting to contemplate in the midst of this show where our collective sense of wonder might lie today. The exhibition is very much homage to the nature of creating real magic; to take the audience on a journey where beliefs and disbeliefs are momentarily suspended and to the “driving obsession” of the magician or artist to always “be one step ahead”- “always curious, always questioning”.

While the scope of the show touches on the contemporary art world, it would be fascinating to see further interpretation of the primary source material through art and performance in a larger or more evolved show.

Sharon Whyte’s series of prints “A sage of the stage, not a beast in a cage”, which takes “educated animal performers of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century” as its theme, provides a colourful backdrop to the display of magical objects in the small gallery.

However, her screenprints feel quite literal and lacking imagination, derivative of historical source material rather than creating their own visual magic. Having a documentary or derivative style can also be a potential hall of mirrors.

There are many parallels between the creation of a work of visual art and an act of conjuring and this together with the relationship between the magical act/work of art and audience perception is ripe for greater scrutiny and investigation. The space between what we see and what we think we see is potentially one of the most compelling aspects of the exhibition.

As a consequence the show left me wanting more. There was a feeling that many of the objects were out of their element, needing human interaction to weave their magic and engage our sight. Intriguing objects and rare books including a first edition of Scot’s Discoverie of Witchcraft (1584) and British magician and writer Robert Harbin’s The Harbin Book (1970), which, while understandably behind glass display cases, were also frustratingly out of reach.

It is perhaps a measure of the exhibition’s success in terms of leaving the viewer wanting to know and see more. However, what I craved as I walked through this exhibition was visual sleight of hand and more creative interpretation rather than documentation, especially when surrounded by such rich source material.

IMAG will run three Performance/Lectures in conjunction with the exhibition, at 10.30am on 5, 12 and 19 December. Tickets are £10 each, and booking is essential. Suitable for age 16 and over.

Links

• IMAG