Magical illusions have existed as a form of entertainment for almost as long as human civilisation itself – think Tales of Khufu and the Magicians from ancient Egypt – but despite its long tradition, why do so few consider it a performing art?
Zenneth Kok is a professional magician and mentalist seeking to change Hongkongers’ general perception of his craft with a 70-minute interactive mind-reading show titled The Memory Wall this weekend.
Kok, who has more than 20 years’ experience in the international magic industry, acknowledges that his show is niche in a city like Hong Kong, but hopes it will be the first of many such performances around the world. Magic is, after all, more than meets the eye.
He tells the Post: “Here’s the thing about magic: the more I do it – especially in close-up performances – the more it feels like a display of skills and abilities.
“I can create a surprise and a moment of astonishment. But I started to feel like, ‘Why don’t I try to learn more about my audience?’ Not just ‘look, here’s what I can do’, but ‘what do you think?’”
Kok got his start in the magic community by watching local gambling films from the late 1980s and 1990s, such as Wong Jing’s God of Gamblers, starring Chow Yun-fat and Andy Lau Tak-wah.