Magic vs Magick

Wire, Various Objects

Various Dimensions

2017

Magic is a word that evokes feelings of mystery, and mysticism. It is a word that is seemingly synonymous with sleight of hand, the imagery of a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat, and exclaiming “Abracadabra”.  Yes, there is magic, which is based off the art of illusion (aka: the rabbit in the hat) or stage performance. But then there is “magick”, the intention you send to the universe in hopes of manifesting, when the energies that surround us are being maneuvered and shaped to generate a specific outcome. Our hands are meant to perform tasks. A big part of the difference lies in the intent that is behind the practices and performances, even the most basic arrangements are constructed with intention.

After given the project of remaking the previous hand project, I became interested in the idea of creating sculptures of hands. I wanted to break away from flat media and instead use a material that it out of my element. I came across some wire in my house and began to think of the different possibilities I could do. Wire was affordable, easy to work with, and, for the most part, sturdy. It was not until after my epiphany that I came across an artist who has based his work off wire sculptures: Alexander Calder. Calder was known for his wire figures and his mobile sculptures. I was fixated on the look of these hands after creating a few, I quickly grew annoyed with them. I played with the positioning of the hands, their locations moved from their table to a basket until I pinned them to a wall. I grew tired of looking at them again. I changed their location yet again, this time suspending them from the ceiling.

For my final installation, I began suspending more of these hands from the ceiling. Some hands were left empty, others had objects. I chose my objects based on the idea of sleight of hand, magician’s objects. After making a list of potential items, I started making correlations between the objects of a magician and the objects of a New Ageist (I am using the term “New Ageist” in a broad way).