Display a cube, a transparent box, an empty cup and a handkerchief to your audience. Have a spectator reach under the handkerchief, place the cube into the box, and place the box on top of the cup. Upon removing the handkerchief, the cube has disappeared! It has magically materialized inside of the cup.
There are no words to describe the shock your audience will feel when the cube that they placed into the box themselves has disappeared! This is truly tangible magic, since your audience can feel the cube up until the last moment. The reappearance of the cube under the cup is extremely unexpected, since they had carefully examined the cup as well. A real double whammy for your audience!
Development story:
Las Vegas magicians Petrick & Mia visited the Tenyo offices in 2000 during a lecture tour in Tokyo. They presented several items that they were interested in marketing with us, but the one that intrigued the Tenyo staff most strongly was this unprecedented experiential magic effect. In essence, a spectator himself places a cube inside of a box, yet that very cube vanishes without a trace.
Experiential magic can be defined as visually-based magic effects that are strengthened by other senses, most commonly the sense of touch. This type of magic is visually surprising to the entire audience, but the tactile illusion is baffling only to the single person who participates. Amongst the magic classics, there are some effects that come close to this concept of "experiential magic," including the sponge balls that multiply in a spectator's hand, and the birdcage that vanishes while surrounded by audience members hands. However, Undercover Cube is an unprecedented and unique effect in that the spectator himself picks up the cube and places it into the case, while the magician takes absolutely no part in the proceedings.
