<
https://www.positive.news/society/saving-the-planet-one-magic-trick-at-a-time/>
"For 34-year-old Megan Swann, turning magic into something green was trickier
than it first appeared. “You soon realise when you’re working as a magician and
doing parties that no one wants to hear about deforestation while performing
the ‘torn and restored newspaper’. “’Happy birthday: the world is burning!’
doesn’t really work,” she laughs.
But she persevered in conjuring up ‘environmental magic’– a new take on the
age-old art form that aims to inspire climate awareness. It’s a beguiling
combination. There is, after all, something unnatural about magic: it breaks
the laws of physics, suspends reality for a few enchanting seconds and disrupts
our perception of the world. But it turns out it could also be a powerful force
to help us reconnect with nature.
Swann has been set on this course ever since she received a magic set when she
was just five. Then, three years later, Roy Marsh – a magician and now her
friend – performed at her birthday party and she was spellbound, attempting to
replicate the effects for friends and family. “It was quite an important part
of my journey. I think I bored everyone slightly doing all these tricks,” she
recalls.
A couple of years later as a budding magician, Swann enrolled in the Young
Magicians Club (YMC), the youth wing of London’s legendary Magic Circle.
“Suddenly I wasn’t just doing stuff from kids’ magic sets any more. My friends
and family were like: ‘What? How did you actually do that?’” Card tricks didn’t
appeal. “They’re boring. There are only so many ways I want to be able to find
a card!” Instead, Swann got into silent stage magic, using music to swerve the
need for a script and to calm her nerves.
But divination wasn’t her only devotion. She’s always loved nature and nearly
became a vet, instead opting to study wildlife conservation at the University
of Kent. “I liked the idea of saving the world. I’ve always been into doing
stuff for the greater good that makes people happy rather than something that
makes lots of money.”
Swann’s dissertation shone a spotlight on her love of entertainment, focusing
on the power of performance skills in education. “I studied the animal shows at
London Zoo and surveyed people [who were watching],” she says. “The things
people remembered most were what they found the most enjoyable and funniest.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
