Re: [Phys-l] Invisible Chair

["John Clement" <clement@hal-pc.org>]

I would say it is just a variant of the same trick.  You have supports
inside the person's clothing attached to a large rigid platform on the
floor.  The illusionist assumes a posture that makes the trick believable.
The only difference is that the invisible chair has the support invisibly
running up the pants leg, while the levitation trick has a visible cane as a
support.  The illusionist holds the cane in such a way that it looks like he
is actually using it, but his hand is merely resting on it while it supports
a platform.  It is a cute engineering problem.  The illusionist does not
have an artificial leg as can be seen in the levitation trick.  A vital part
of both tricks is the way the illusionist assumes a natural posture, which
most of us might find difficult under the circumstances.  The invisible
chair might need the crossed leg to hide the mechanism, because the
supporting leg might be of a different length with a different shoe size.
The illusionist also has to be careful not to move much or the support might
obviously wiggle, or even oscillate.  Just don't kick the man in the
invisible chair in the shins!

It is also wonderful how you can paint a steel support to look like a wooden
cane.  This sort of painting has been practiced for millenia.  I remember
how some of the marble pillars in Italian churches were actually just
painted to look like marble.

Actually I saw a really cute variant on invisible trickery but with a twist.
At a fair there was a water faucet mounted on a glass plate with no visible
pipes.  Water continually came out of the faucet.  The source was a
transparent pipe runnin up inside the stream of water.  It was easily
discovered by trying to put your hand in the water.

John M. Clement
Houston, TX 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu 
> [mailto:phys-l-bounces@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu] On Behalf 
> Of carmelo@pacific.net.sg
> Sent: Wednesday, June 29, 2011 9:22 PM
> To: phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
> Subject: Re: [Phys-l] Invisible Chair
>
> No, it is a different concept.
> Try:
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HfDeTVpinU
>
>
> Alphonsus
>
> Quoting John Clement <clement@hal-pc.org>:
>
> > Try:
> http://jratcliffscarab.blogspot.com/2007/10/dutch-magician-ram
ana-levitates-
> > at.html
> >
> > This is an old trick.
> > John M. Clement
> > Houston, TX
>
>
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