When a Person Performs a Stunt, He Works Wonders, and This is Peak of Emotions of Himself and the Audience: Nahapet Arshakyan
Illusionist Nahapet Arshakyan is just 21. Few people recognize him in Armenia, but those, who know, want to know more and more of him. Nahapet is a kind, harmless “witch,” he doesn’t consider himself a magician, but an illusionist. This is his world, which he has built by his imagination, through effects inexplicable to ordinary people, pursuant his own rules, sometimes even denying already existent science rules.
Items that appear in his energy field may fly, irrespective of the fact, whether it’s a simple ring, or a lighting cigarette, next to him even your phone may disappear from your hand, the red card may become black, and all these is just an illusion, a deception. World’s well-known magicians know Nahapet, however, nexst to us, he’s yet unknown.
–Nahapet, what is illusion in profession?
– It’s a type of pantomime, where, although it’s adopted to think, there is no trick as it is. Starting from the origin of the word, “trick” derives from the Russian word “фокусировка” (trltr. fokusirovka, meaning—focusing), which by its primary sense means deviation of attention. And this has an archetype from English “hokus pokus,” which in its turn, is something like “abra kadabra,” deprived of any meaningful term. Armenian equivalent is “աճպարար” (tsltr. Achparar, meaning—magician), however, there is an international term, which includes exactly what I do—an illusionist.
–As a rule, people treat you like a miracle maker, and the so-called realists, just a professional “cheater.”
–(smiles:- N.M.) You know, I did an experiment here, in Armenia, by which I tried to understand, what associations a person has, when, for instance, you pronounce the word ‘magician’. Turns out, they immediately imagine someone making tricks with doves, or they even think of a juggler. When you say, ‘a conjuror’, a classic image appears before them, that through a magic hat white rabbit are taken out…But when you say ‘an illusionist’, they imagine a serious image, who may also be strictly modern. In the end, they are all people.
–Seemingly, there are no professional schools here, or am I mistaken?
– You’re right. Even a magic shop may not be found in Armenia, from where one may acquire necessary items. All my requisites I make for myself, even magic sticks, which illusionists usually have. Construction of a trick, which I develop for myself, in fact, is very complicated. Personal brain isn’t able to think, that likewise things may be implemented. Finding necessary details for each effect, joining them and obtaining a trick, is a very complicated process.
–Who was your master, did you have one?
–No, I don’t and didn’t have, and everything I know for the moment, I have learnt for myself. I’m self-taught.
–How come? It means is everybody capable to create those effects? Can I?
–I’d say—no. And you know why? I have about 6 colleagues, who all became IT specialists, none of them does this, as a person can’t perform tricks with cards throughout all his/her life. People strive to reach perfection. For instance, I have a trick, which is still in process, when a phone disappears in your hand. I created a special construction for making the phone disappear: it was in my hand a while ago, and simply disappeared…
– What is necessary to reach that?
– Really strong imagination is necessary for that; figuratively speaking, brain of an illusionist should be a Space. For this it’s necessary to have a large information reservoir, moreover, quite a miscellaneous one. Especially the circumstance, that I did everything during my life was very helpful to me: cooking, hairdressing, painting, sculpture classes, studied electro mechanics and mechanics, played big tennis, did swimming, basketball, karate, passed all the stages of computer programming, and in the end, I decided to do something that all my obtained knowledge would unify in one place, and this is it.
–Which are the differences of an ordinary person and an illusionist?
–The difference is, that ordinary people see everything in integrity, with rather common prism, and we see the details. For instance, while walking on the street, you see a person walking towards you, but I may notice his/her handbag, wet notebook in it, patch on trousers, details, which I furtherly use in my effects.
–To which extent nature and science rules are applied in works of illusionists, e.g. laws of physics?
–Basically, everything is applied here. For instance, I like to put aside laws of physics, I often contrast and deny them through effects created by me. In fact, I create illusion. In the period of 2012-14 I worked on the most complicated and crucial effect, by which I sincerely boast now, it’s my anti-gravitation, by which I’m able to put an object in anti-gravitation field, without touching it. I can make them fly, I manage them in the air, move and etc. I reach it through my energy, and by that, I contradict laws of physics.
–Interesting, how people, doing science would explain that?
–For instance, it became known recently, that Stephen Hawking became the author of a new theory, by which he denies two anti-gravitation theories, putting forward quite a new one. I studied that innovative theory.
Naturally, Hawking states that black cavities in Space possess great power of attraction, and that attraction is so powerful, that it doesn’t allow any detail to come out if it. If, the issue is regarded from the standpoint of quantum physics laws, the picture is quite different, theoretically, even the fact that light may come out of the field of attraction is considered possible. Turns out, two laws contradict one another.
And what does Hawking say in his new theory? He excludes, that these two bring forward quite a new theory, on which, as I managed to follow information flow, he’ll speak at Starmus scientific festival to be held this year.
–What do you feel during your performance, when people look at you and believe you are a magician?
–In fact, I understood, that magicians aren’t such happy people. We do one thing, that surprises, admires or amuses people, but we ourselves don’t obtain the same feelings, as we know, what is concealed behind, and that in the backstage, in fact, it’s requires too long tiring and even annoying work.
We implement a complex of mechanical movements by cards, which seem a magic to the observer. In fact, the process in total, is so far from being a miracle. Roughly said, I solve mathematical tasks, by giving you a smile. Everything is good before that moment, when the effect of surprise passes, and then you forget me. This is a psychological decline for a magician.
–As you realize, what you do, is basically an illusion, and that you simply “cheat” people…
– No, as this is the very case when a person wants to be cheated. The point is, you yourself realize that trick which took sleepless nights and long days, you show to steal a smile from the audience, which lasts just a second for you, not more. Maybe he/she will remember your trick for a long time, but not you.
–Is there a contingent for particular audience, who know you, and before whom you managed to perform?
–Unfortunately, here, in Armenia, it’s impossible to have full halls through this art type. Besides, it’s been scientifically proven that human brain isn’t able to get information for 40 minutes uniterrupted, as it’s a big load for the brain. Conditioned by this and other reasons, I mainly participated in various corporative invitations. In this month I missed an important forum, the only reason for which was indifference towards the genre.
Just a few days ago I was to leave for St. Petersburg for 3 days, to take part in International Illusionist Forum, where I was among the special guests. A few world-famous illusionists nominated me, sending recommendations, by which they confirmed, that by participating in that forum, in illusion section, I’ll hold the first place.
Famous illusionists, like this year’s world champion Shin Lim, French Willow Domanski, Vlad Krivonogov and others have sent recommendations for me.
I had prepared 15 effects special for that day, but I need funding to participate in it. Besides travel and accommodation costs, there were special participation fees. Unfortunately, I didn’t find funding, as nobody was interested in my proposals, which maybe, were profitable…
–Maybe attitude towards this genre comes also from the fact that our nation is already tired of large-scale tricks implemented in more serious, political arenas…
–(we smile:-N.M.) Yes!…the biggest magician of our country is our president…No, really, people even positively react to this genre, as when a person doesn’t know what’s happening on stage, naturally, interest grows. Indifference on other level is quite a different thing. The genre is not properly propagated. Why doesn’t anyone think that by funding, benefits may be obtained for this genre? This is the point.
–Despite all that, what is the chief goal set by you?
–Frankly speaking, throughout the last 6 months I consistently worked on quality of my tricks, not to record any shortcoming. Audience should see me in a perfect state. For the time being, my chief purpose is bringing recognition to Armenia through my art both by big and small steps, so that people understood that besides our famous painters, sculptors and etc., there is illusion as well, which is an old and original type of art, yet known from Old Egyptian times. I have a strong desire to establish a school in near future, where people may come and learn secretes of this art. When a person performs a stunt, he works wonders, and this is the peak of emotions of himself and the audience.
By Nvard Manvelyan
