The Surface Below Part 1 By Giacomo Bigliardi
I was watching an interview with Elon Musk explaining the purpose of “The boring company” last year. To paraphrase him slightly he says that currently traffic congestion is a 2-dimensional problem. The only 2D solution is to make wider-highways to accommodate the growth in traffic.
However, there is another way. By going into another dimension, the 3rd-dimension, you can go either over or under the traffic. Doubling the space for the same amount of traffic, thus reducing congestion.
I sat there and thought “Wow, that applies to magic too.”
We’re currently working in one dimension, at arms length or above the table. In view of the spectators at all times. Our tools are one dimensional.
Tricks that go above your audience (like Paper balls over the head) won’t fool inattentive (and thus, not misdirected) audience members. They’ll see it.
That means the under-utilized part of magic is ‘The Surface Below’.
It was then that I was on the look-out for an expert in lapping. Someone who works in 3-dimensions, adding a new layer to their magic under the table. A few weeks later I stumbled across Giacomo Bigliardi on Instagram. An Italian card shark who’s flawless visual vanishes had stumped some of the biggest names in magic.
The comments section was rife with praise.
The method was known, but the technique was hidden. He told everyone it was lapping, yet nobody could obviously justify when the card ‘vanished’.
We flew to Turin, Italy to meet with him. A slip of a click on AirBnB and we ended up in a neighbourhood that didn’t reflect Giacomo’s clean, unique style… but that didn’t matter. Watching a true master at their craft is so immersive, you could be anywhere.
The lens absorbed all of this goodness like a black hole and today, we’re delivering it to you.
On this project are 7 individual lapping techniques, multiple vanish sequences using only 4 cards (no gimmicks) and 2 full routines that use a table, but don’t telegraph the method. This adds a new dimension to your card magic.
‘A new dimension’ sounds cliché because it’s over-used and misunderstood. This truly is a new dimension.