Customized Digital Illusions: DHL Asia Pacific Innovation Center Launch

December 16, 2015

DHL launches S$10m innovation centre in Singapore

A couple of weeks ago, DHL launched their first innovation center in Asia, right in Singapore. In order to display their cutting edge innovation, they engaged me to design a series of illusions to showcase some of their capabilities and to tell a story about innovation.

Posted by Alexander Yuen: A Finer Side of Magic on Wednesday, December 9, 2015

There were a few objectives I wanted to achieve for this illusion sequence:

The magic has to be presented in a modern and relevant platform; appropriate for the Innovation Center.
The illusions have to be well strung to tell a coherent story.

I spent close to 10 hours wrecking my brains in conceptualizing and designing appropriate illusions for this event.

After that, a substantial amount of time was spent on practicing and coding.

Painting Sequence: Paint is "splashed" onto the screen.

An effect about Thomas Edison's Lightbulb Invention.

Innovation Idea on reducing carbon prints by making logistics more eco-friendly.

Taking out physical transportation in logistics.

It was an amazing experience for me (and the audiences) to be at the forefront of innovation.

Read more about their innovation center here:

DHL launches S$10m innovation centre in Singapore

Signing off,
Alexander Yuen

Comment

Product Launch by Magic: SOAR Book Launch

November 5, 2015

A couple of months ago, I was engaged as a consultant to design and perform an illusion sequence to launch a book. One of the criterias of this sequence was that it had to be thematically related to the book. The book was titled SOAR, which collated success stories of entrepreneurs. They specifically wanted a sequence that would symbolize the taking flight and soaring above and higher than the rest.

Alexander Yuen Book Launch Magic Illusion

After spending about 2 day in thinking and conceptualizing the possible magical effects pertaining to the idea of soaring, I finally decided to do a sequence where an origami bird would mysteriously take flight on its own symbolizing the rising above the rest.

This was the easiest part of the content development. The hardest part was to design an illusion that would launch the book in a flashy and yet magical manner. The illusion also had to be simple enough so that a VIP can activate it if required. Another challenge that I faced was that the book was printed in soft bound, it was not easy to manipulate the book via sleight of hand. The dimensions of the book made it extremely difficult to conceal it in a convincing fashion. Hence, I needed to build an illusion that would hold the book in place.

I first referenced my library of magic illusion books. I compiled several ideas that seems workable and does not require intensive building. This was crucial given that the booking was only confirmed 2 months in advance (compared to my SOP of 3 months for customized projects), I did not have the luxury of time to build something overly complicated. While most of these ideas seem to work (in a magic sense), some were stronger than the others. For example, I deliberated between making the book appear by covering a lid over a box versus this current method. I chose the latter because there was an economy of movement in my choreography and the design of the illusion allowed me to activate it easily without looking fumbling.

SOAR Book Launch by Illusionist Alexander Yuen

I sent my design to be fabricated and I was very pleased with its outcome. The frame looks elegant and posh. It looks like a frame that would house an exquisite centerpiece in a prestigious venue. I was pleasantly surprised that the Chief Operations Officer wanted me to leave the book inside the frame to use it as picture taking centerpiece.

You can check out more pictures of the event here!

So finally, after researching, designing and fabricating the apparatus, the rest was simple: Rehearsals. I spent at least 10 hours on rehearsals alone for this performance. The surprising thing about the performance was that, it only took 1 minute and 30 seconds. All that work for that 1 minute? Yes, that was the amount of work I had to put in for this. Simply because for launches, there is ZERO room for error. I only get one shot at the launch.

Here is the end result, in video (Spoiler alert, the book appears at the end):

In this video, I perform a routine according to the theme of the book (titled: SOAR). I first make an origami bird levitate to symbolize flight and finally make the book appear inside a picture frame.

At least 150 hours of work put into this in one video :)

Have a book to launch? Or a product to be launched in a creative fashion? Let me design something unique and visually appealing for you! Drop me a text below and I would love to discuss with you further!

Contact Alexander

Signing off,

Alexander Yuen

Comment

1 Comment

Amazing Reactions to Magic in Philippines!

October 21, 2015

A couple of weeks ago, I travelled to Philippines to film a segment of the Bend The Rules video by HP. After 3 hours of travel by air, 2 hours on the bus and then 20 minutes on a ferry (gosh, I travelled by sea, air and land in one trip!), my crew and I got to Boracay.

Boracay boasts one of most beautiful beaches in the world, there were so many things to do there. Sea sports, water activities and night life, fun touristy things to do. But I was there on a mission, to share my magic with the locals.

Singapore Illusionist Show Alexander Yuen

There were a lot of opportunities to perform and share my magic with the locals. Given that they have not seen sleight of hand magic ever in their life, they thoroughly enjoyed the magic. You can literally see the sparkle in their eyes when something magical happened. It was a beautiful moment for me as well as a performer.

While corporate parties and functions form the bulk of my engagement, I too enjoy performing to audiences that did not expect to be pleasantly surprised by magic. That is the true joy of magic for me, to be able to spread that moment of glee from me to my audiences, whether in a corporate function or along the streets of a night market.

After a week of filming, I got really good footage and reactions of my magic, tell me what you think!

Pardon the floppy hair and the tee shirt and berms, we were in a beach after all. ;)

Enjoy the magic!

Signing off,
Alexander Yuen

1 Comment

Comment

Singapore Wedding Entertainment (Wedding Magician at Flower Dome)

September 29, 2015

Songs, dances, skits and magic can be great for weddings. But what is the secret element that makes them great? In order to understand what makes for good wedding entertainment, consider this unique characteristic of weddings that is not typically present in other events. Look at the series of pictures from the same wedding (in the Flower Dome), do you know what it is?

Weddings tend to have a wide range of audiences with huge differences in age.

This is because for weddings, the guests consist of grandparents, parents, friends and also/even their/their children. You can/will literally have/see/encounter guests ranging from 3 months of age to 100.

As such, the form of entertainment provided should cater to the different groups of guests. For instance, young children love magic that is visually stimulating, bright and interactive. Teenagers prefer magic that has an element of challenge. Young adults tend towards magic that is sophisticated and of a psychological nature while the older generation likes magic that is visually impactful and cognitively simpler.

Sure, you can have music or even live music to entertain the guests while they wait, but does it cater to individual groups of guests as adequately as magic? There is nothing more exciting and fun than to have magic happening inside your own hands'. And this is what I do for wedding receptions, I perform magic that is interactive, engaging and I make sure the guests have a good time while they wait.

Think of your perfect wedding as a journey for you and your guests where every moment of it adds up to an experiential treat. It is your special day, why not make sure your guests leave with fond memories of a great time? ?

Wish to find out? Contact me through the button below! My wedding services includes a non-obligatory 20 minute consultation meeting where I will demonstrate to you my style of magic and do a rundown of how my magic can be incorporated into the wedding.

Contact me

In the meantime, I wish you love and the happiest ever after.

wedding at flower dome garden by the bay

Signing off,

Alexander Yuen.

Comment

1 Comment

Magic for the Indonesian Ambassador's Wife.

September 26, 2015

Last week, I was invited to a farewell party for a friend of mine who will be moving to Switzerland with her husband (you lucky gal!). And when I got to the venue, lo-and behold, it exudes regalness and royalty.

Have you seen a place more magical than this?

Credits: Photography by Simplifai Studios. @simplifai

I was stoked to be able to bid my friend farewell as well as perform in this gorgeous setting.

After the show performance, it was lunch. Lunch was served on a huge platter. Trust me, it was delicious!

Shortly, the Indonesian Ambassador's wife, Mrs Ferial Hadi, who is also a personal friend of the host came by. I was very lucky to be able to perform for her. She was really thrilled and enjoyed the magic immensely.

Alexander Yuen Performing for Ambassador

The food, the staff, the ambience and the decorations are definitely befitting for royalty. Check out this place if you wish to hold a classy private event.

Gonna miss you guys, Joao and Mona! Enjoy Switzerland!

Signing off,

Alexander Yuen

1 Comment

Comment

Magic Entertainment at Presidential Suite during F1 Racing Weekend

September 21, 2015

If you have ever wondered how a presidential suite looks like, it looks something like this!

Alexander Yuen Swissotel Presidential Suite

Very snazzy ha! The picture doesn't do the room justice because the room itself is actually a lot larger than it looks. It is large enough to hold about 80 guests in one setting, and it features a cocktail bar, finger food station as well as this beautiful chandelier.

Gorgeous isn't it!

I was invited by Telstra to perform my magic to entertain their high stake clients and valued guests while they waited for the race to begin. It was really a blessing to be able to perform at this wonderful location, enjoying the skyline and a bit of the race.

Check out some of the pictures below!

Looks cozy. Didn't have time to try though.

Because everyone is a winner at Telstra!

Comfy Sofa with Vintage Furnishing, Classy!

An amazing experience altogether. If you would like to find out more about how I can add that fine touch of magic for your guests, contact me here!

Enquire Here!

Signing off

Alexander Yuen

Comment

Corporate Illusion Show Inside Attica

August 10, 2015

Last week, I presented my corporate illusion show called "3 Sides of Magic" as a finale inside Attica. This was for a company called Facility Link who held their appreciation dinner at the club.

As with most dinners, there was a cocktail reception where guests mingled among themselves and with their respective sales agent from the company. This allows them to catch up and re-establish relationships between the company and the client.

Of course, in such events, there will be instances where guests are not attended to by the company's sales person as he or she may be attending to someone else. So how does a corporation make a guest feel personally attended to?

Entertainment! Specifically intimate entertainment. Music is usually good, but it does not offer thepersonal touch that Interactive Roving Magic offers.

Well, not all forms of entertainment are created equal. Depending on the branding of a company, the choice of the performer for their event is a reflection of the company's image as well as their commitment to customer satisfaction. As a close up performer, I dress myself in a fashion that is sleek and befitting of the companies I represent. A shabby outfit would not reflect well on the company, whihch is why my suits are bespoke. Bad dressing is accentuated unprofessionalism especially when the performer interacts closely with the audiences. Keen eyed guests will notice these finer details. This is why I always make sure I look (and smell) best when I perform my magic. If a company wants to showcase a professional, sleek and sophisticated image, they will spare no expenses for a top tier magician.

As the above was what the client specifically wanted, I was naturally the best choice for the event. I interacted with the guests, engaging them in fluent and eloquent presentations coupled with strong magic. At the end of the cocktail reception, the guests could not wait for my show on stage!

3 Sides of Magic

This corporate illusion show couples storytelling, artistic endeavors and magic all into one exciting show. The magic features illusions, mind reading and artfully crafted magic.