Interview

The media magician

digital magic

He has dedicated himself entirely to digital magic: Andreas Axmann is regarded as Germany’s first iPad magician. While other magicians saw up women on stage and conjure rabbits out of hats, Axmann experiments with the latest media technology. In this interview, he reveals what fascinates him about digital technology and which device he particularly enjoys using to perform magic. Axmann travels all over the world for his shows. Every magician’s dream has already come true for him: he performed on stage in Las Vegas. A year earlier, Axmann had specialized in digital magic, becoming the first iPad magician in Germany to discover a market niche for himself.

Dear Mr. Axmann, you have been performing magic since you were 6 years old. What fascinated you about magic as a child?

Probably the playful aspect of magic. You have to tinker and try things out for a long time until you achieve an amazing effect that you can wow your audience with. I had many hobbies as a child, but magic fascinated me the most.

You differ from other magicians in that you perform magic with notebooks, iPads and smartphones. How did you come up with this idea?

Back in 2006, I had a television as a digital element in a competition act with which I performed magic. That was the first step towards becoming a “media magician”. Since the iPad came along in 2010, completely new possibilities have opened up in the field of virtual magic. It’s handy, has a great display and also looks magical. I now really enjoy working magic with all this technology in my program. Mainly because I don’t make it look futuristic and abstract, but as a “digital native” I use it in a completely natural and playful way. This goes down particularly well with companies that want to take away their employees’ fear of working with tablet computers at conferences, for example.

Where do you get the inspiration for new ideas?

I “brainstorm” a lot. For example, by sitting in a café and thinking, writing things down and combining ideas. Interestingly, I’m also particularly creative when I’m traveling by car, train or plane. But inspiration comes from everywhere. From everyday life, from films, but also from the events themselves.

When you look back, which performance do you particularly remember and why?

That was probably my performance in China. It was an incredible experience to perform 25 shows in front of around 2000 Chinese people in a large theater as part of a Magic Festival. An audience with a completely different culture that reacted very differently and particularly euphorically.

What do you like best about your job?

Probably the fact that I can always combine my private life with my professional life. My job is also my hobby and my passion. A relaxed evening with friends can be an excellent source of inspiration for a new act. On the other hand, I always enjoy getting to know new cities and people when I’m booked outside my home city of Berlin. At the moment I’m answering these questions, I’m flying to Miami, for example, to appear at an international trade fair for a Hamburg-based company. And at the beginning of February at 30 degrees – wonderful.

What are your plans for the future, what comes after the iPad?

I’m moving more and more in the direction of a “show lecture”, where I’m initially announced as a speaker but then surprisingly become an entertainer for the audience. I’m currently experimenting with augmented and virtual reality glasses, still using smartwatches etc. Digital development is rapid and I prefer to be a designer rather than a driver.

In conclusion: The magic box is the classic learning tool for budding magicians. What about digital magic, how can you learn it?

Over the last ten years, I have tried, experimented, discarded, changed and researched a lot in the field of digital magic in front of the mirror, in my prop workshop and live in front of an audience. I don’t think you can just learn it like that (yet).

There is simply an app for everything …