So a lot has been written about Antoni Gaudi and his affiliation with Barcelona that it is nearly inconceivable to undertaking to that pearl of the Mediterranean without at minimum shelling out some time admiring the sinuous extravagances of the architect’s fanciful imagination. But Barcelona is entire of uncommon stores, bars and dining places that have been going about their business considering that ahead of Sr. Gaudi picked up his 1st pencil.
At number eleven Carrer de la Princesa, a painted be-turbaned head glares out from the curve of a big blue query mark. Under it a glass screen situation holds enjoying cards, puzzles, wands and intricate explanations of the illusionist’s art. This is El Rey De La Magia, established in 1881 and the oldest magic store in Spain.
Shortly ahead of Gaudi commenced work on the Segrada Familia, Joaquin Portagas became intrigued with the entire world of illusion. After a excursion to South America in which he realized some new tips and strategies, he made a decision to take a full-time step into the magic planet and opened El Rey de la Magia, a brave step at a time when only a number of people recognized and practiced the illusionist’s art. At that time magic was largely executed on avenue corners, in marketplaces and bars – it wouldn’t turn out to be really well-liked until finally the 1930’s, when it lastly entered the theatres and turned a significant interest.
In the store, and the little museum of magic nearby, posters heading back to the early several years of the final century promote the renowned magicians of the day, a quantity of them dressed in flowing Chinese robes. The vibrant costumes ended up noticed as quite unique when they 1st appeared, and besides – there was plenty of room to disguise items!
In 1933 the very first magic group in Spain was began in Barcelona, the Asociación Catalana Illusionistas – and fulfilled in Quatro Gats, the very same café exactly where Picasso, Joan Miró and other artists, writers and poets would fulfill. Magic was noticed by numerous as element of the arts in individuals days.
By the time José Maria Martinez took above the shop the magic enterprise had been in decline for a number of several years – there was even talk of changing the home into a bar. At that time he and his wife, Rosa Maria Llop, have been skilled actors but provided magic in their specifically developed performances, something they still do these days.
Magic is now a quite common passion again, and even although most people very like the extremely grand David Copperfield-variety illusions, it really is nevertheless the near-up, more intimate phase performances that people truly desire. And you don’t get much far more near-up and personal than the performances held at their very small theatre, in which toddlers to granddads goggle in awe at the ‘magical’ Sunday demonstrates.
The theatre is portion of a museum of historic magic props (exactly where you can see Rosa’s grinning head mysteriously suspended in a glass circumstance), but in the workshop under, José Maria performs devising new tips for consumers world-extensive, although in the globe of magic nothing at all genuinely modifications.
Fundamentally magic is outlined by a handful of guidelines – levitation, altering colour, shape or location, and breaking one thing apart and putting it together once again. Even if you happen to be chopping someone’s head off you still have to set it again yet again or where’s the magic? There is not – it really is then acknowledged as murder!
The most important factor in magic is creating the real truth of some thing that doesn’t exist. penarrubia lounge will come down to approach, you need to have to emphasis the public’s consideration exactly where you want it. 1 of the most tough illusions to do is levitation simply because it wants about four minutes to set up, in total general public view, and four minutes is a quite long time for a magician to stand on phase and do practically nothing.
I am a freelance journalist residing in Valencia Metropolis, Spain, though my work normally takes me during the region. My operate is fairly extensive ranging, each in matter and geography, but my heart lies in Spain, which is exactly where most of writing concentrates on. I have created two effective guide guides to the Valencian location, on Spain’s eastern coast, Inland Trips from the Costa Blanca and Little Accommodations and Inns of Eastern Spain, as properly as numerous posts for countrywide and global press. Even though most of my work attributes the idiosyncratic side of Spain, I’ve also written extensively on wine, gastronomy and lodges.