iPad Magic in Technology Events, Innovation Conferences and Creativity Symposium

There is a rising trend for companies to innovate and use technology to meet and exceed KPIs. Numerous conferences and technological events are held almost every day around the world. I have been blessed to be invited to a few, including those organized by NEC, Singtel, DHL and Cisco. 

We must embrace innovation, not just in the consumer and servicing industries, but also the entertainment industry. Magic is no different.

Often I find the best way to innovate is to draw inspirations from the past. Reading about visionaries who do not give up their ideals of the future greatly inspires me and my magic. What they have created then might be outdated right now, but it was way ahead of its time when it was first conceptualized. 

When I embarked on my iPad Magic, my focus was clear. I wanted to focus on innovation and the capacity of imagination. With that, I created this routine in tribute to the greatest inventor of our time, Thomas Edison.

Enjoy!

For booking and information,

info@metaillusions.com

Signing off,

Alexander Y (iPad Magician)

Innovation, Technology, Edison and iPad Magic

I am truly humbled that, as a Singapore iPad Magician, I am able to perform my original iPad magic for a diverse international crowd. 

Enjoy iLight 2.0 LIVE!

Invitations to technological conferences are always amazing. There is nothing more exciting than performing my own creation to a group of coders, programmers and technological innovators.

Key Note Speaker from Cisco 

One of the many reasons why technological companies are intrigued by my iPad magic is that I pay homage to innovation, creativity and out of the box thinking through my magic. Through the use of the iPad, I create illusions that breaks the mould of conventional illusions and magic. Hence no square boxes and awkward looking props.

Day 2 of Cisco Connect in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia was amazing. I performed my own inventions and illusions with the iPad. Here I am, standing on the Cisco stage, presenting one of my original iPad Magic as a tribute to the greatest innovator of our time, Thomas Edison. You can tell from the reaction of the audiences that they really enjoyed the iPad magic that I presented on stage. 

For booking and information:

info@metaillusions.com

Signing off, 

Alexander Y (Singapore iPad Magician)

Finding Beer in Saudi Arabia, Cisco Conference and iPad Illusions

After a grueling 15 hours of traveling, I am finally in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh. Woohoo! It is a gorgeous place, the charm of this city creeps on you like the light of dawn.

This was the very first picture I took on the ride to the hotel. Incidentally, this is also the place where I will be debuting my iPad Illusion Show. 

I am booked here to perform at Cisco Connect, a technological conference that engages the development of technological advancement. The iPad Illusion Show is a great fit for the theme as I present cutting edge illusions without old cliches in magic. More on that later.

After reaching the hotel, I had a refreshing sleep and then it is back to work. I had to do some last minute programming changes in some of the apps I developed as the customized content was tweaked a little.

Setting up the iPads

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Setting up the iPads

Singapore is 5 hours ahead of the Riyadh, therefore I was also 5 hours late in replying my emails. I guess no one ever sees the background work of an entrepreneur but it is not all glitz and glamour. After programming, I got to my emails.

Check out that killer view. This is my business suite and my sleeping place for the next few days. Awesome!

Check out that killer view. This is my business suite and my sleeping place for the next few days. Awesome!

We had some time before the technical rehearsal, my stage assistant, Yi Hao and I took a walk. But soon after we took a few steps, we realized it was a better idea to stay indoors. The heat was scorching, we could feel the heat wave on our bodies. If you thought Singapore was hot, try Saudi Arabia.

However, we did the best thing on a sunny day, ICE CREAM! We also found non-alcoholic beer from Budweiser. We did a taste and videoed it, check it out below!

It was then call time for the technical rehearsal. The staging and set up looks magnificent!

I am very excited to perform on the pedestal-looking stage. Tech rehearsals went smoothly and we are good to go for tomorrow and Thursday!

To reward ourselves, we headed back for dinner and tried the non-alcoholic beer. Check out our reaction and thoughts on this in this video!

Yea.... Probably not my thing for now.

I am stoked to be performing tomorrow at the amazing stage for the international conference goers! It is about 10.41 pm right now, which means it is it is 3.40am in Singapore. I am still feeling a little jet lagged. Gonna head to bed soon!

Will be uploading a sample of my show tomorrow!

Signing Off,

Alexander Yuen (iPad Magician in Saudi Arabia)

Technology, Innovation, iPad Magic!

30 years ago, magicians were doing magic with frames, boxes and confetti. 30 years later, some magicians have not progressed from there. Magicians might add a modern touch by adding a technological device like an iPad or LED lights. But ultimately, the content, the style of magic, the music and the movement all screams out old school.

Perhaps for sentimental nostalgic reasons, some audiences actually do prefer an illusionist who performs in a style of the 60s, where objects fly around from with no rhyme or reason. 

BUT FOR THE MODERN AND INTELLIGENT AUDIENCE, IS THIS SATISFYING?

If you are looking for a modern and intelligent act, look no further. The iPad magic that I create is meaningful, visual and engaging. I design all my own apps, so you can be sure you are getting high quality iPad Magic. The animations in the iPad will look natural because it was designed from scratch. 

There are alternative methods of doing iPad magic via an app bought from iTunes, but... I don't think you want to go there. The perks of designing your own app:

1. Fully Customizable
2. Editable
3. Tailored for perfection

Don't take my word for it, check out this video here!

FOR BOOKING AND ENQUIRIES, DROP ME A MESSAGE AT:

INFO@METAILLUSIONS.COM

Signing off,

Alexander Yuen (iPad Magician)

Customized iPad Magic

What does customization mean? Is it enough to slap a logo and say that you've customized your magic?

In the world of advertising, branding and visibility are integral marketing concepts. Logo and brand exposure is great, but you can stretch that further by incorporating meaningful visuals and powerful emotions (like amazement) into the campaign. 

Here is a simple but very effective customized iPad magic sequence I did for a Japan company that has a franchise in Singapore:

You will notice that the magic has meaning. The magic is not done for magic sake. (For example, making confetti appearing for now reason).

You can also see that there is strong branding and visibility because of the visuals I designed to be incorporated into the iPad app that I eventually programmed. 

Added with a nice touch of magic (and charisma!), you have a simple yet amazing and effective iPad magic illusion for a marketing campaign.

To find out more about my work, drop me an email!

I CUSTOMIZE NOT JUST FOR BRANDS AND PRODUCTS, I CUSTOMIZE FOR EVENTS AND PARTIES TOO!

BOOKING AND ENQUIRIES:

INFO@METAILLUSIONS.COM

Magician of the Month: iPad Magic

I was given the title of "Magician of the Month" by the International Brotherhood of Magicians (Singapore Ring 115) for the month of March. It was a privilege to be given this title and be recognized for uniqueness I bring into the magic landscape in Singapore.

I performed and lectured on Digital Magic (or iPad Magic). You can imagine how anxious I was presenting this to fellow peers of the industry. But thanks to the years of training in the university, for my BA and MA, I rehearsed and was able to give a very well received lecture. 

Being Magician of the Month in a domain of magic means that your peers recognize you to be the leading figure in that area. This recognition is not something lightly given. If you had followed my work, you would know that it was not an easy journey pioneering iPad Magic.

But as with all aspects of technology, there is a constant pressure to innovate and think outside the box. I am very excited to share that I am working on something really quite exciting, and I will share more in due time!

In the mean time, innovate!

Here is the lecture I presented which shows my thinking process behind designing the illusions.

(*Disclaimer, it is going to be quite boring because I've edited the teaching part out)

Logging Out,

Alexander Yuen

Customized iPad Magic: The Great Egg Venture

DID HUMPTY DUMPTY HAD A GREAT FALL?

We are all on the topic of Eggs because some time ago, I was consulted and then commissioned to design a sequence for Sentosa-Harbourfront Business Association to launch a first of its kind, egg themed cookbook titled, "Everybody Loves Eggs".

Though the timeline was tight, I managed to craft an iPad Magic Sequence that is thematic to this book. There were a few key messages that were integral to this sequence:

1. First ever egg-themed recipe book in Singapore
2. Encompasses creations from top chefs in the precinct, from brunches to main courses, desserts and cocktail.
3. Enjoy the Easter treats at Sentosa-HarbourFront, and take the recipe book home and replicate the memories.
4. VIP has to launch the book

I spent about half a day working out a creative way to introduce the first 3 messages. This was followed by the designing of visual assets and then programming. You can see how I creatively use visual illusions, animation and magic to showcase the top 3 messages.

VIP LAUNCH MECHANISM

There were a few consideration for the launch mechanism. The first main constraint was that the mechanism needs to be as straightforward as possible. The VIP should not have to do a lot of rehearsals for the launch. The reason being, the VIP usually has a packed schedule without sufficient free time for a proper rehearsal. Hence the magic needs to be as direct as possible.

The second constraint was that the book needs to be pulled out and displayed in the VIP's hand. I hadto use an apparatus that would allow me to do that. 

With the two conditions in mind, I programmed a sequence where the VIP would swipe an image into a picture frame, and the image of the book would appear. Thereafter, the illusionist would show that this is not just a picture, but it is the book itself. 

The crowd size was fairly small, there was about 80 guests present at the event. The full sequence was well received by the crowd and the VIP. In fact, one of the guest present, Meiling from Universal Scribbles came up to me and asked if she could film a sequence for her son, who loves magic. 

So back to Humpty Dumpty, did he have a great fall? I am not sure, but I think he would have a great time at the Great Egg-Venture!

PS: HEY, IF YOU HAVEN'T DONE SO, FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA!

FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM!

Signing Off,

Alexander Y.

Interactive iPad Roving Magic

IPAD ROVING MAGIC PROMO BY ALEXANDER

If you have read our previous article on iPad Magic and Digital Illusions, titled "Evolution of an Artist", you would know that the genre of iPad Magic within Meta Illusions started first with Jonathan designing iPad apps for our Interactive Roving Magic. 

As we progressed we had more need for palour and stage effects in the iPad and they were mostly custom designed to our client's specification.

But that aside, today I want to share with you more information about our Interactive iPad Roving Magic. This is our 2nd most popular engagement next to the Standard Interactive Roving Magic. 

WHY IPAD MAGIC?

The unique feature about the iPad Roving Magic is that you can book me to interact and mingle with your guests. You are offering a unique form of entertainment that is hardly seen in the industry; your guests and clients will be impressed by the novelty and the strength of the inherent magic. The best part: How about adding your client's or company's logo into the iPad and using them as part of the magic, at no additional cost?

COMPLIMENTARY LOGO CUSTOMIZATION

Up to a limited time, I am offering complimentary basic customization for all my iPad Roving Magic where I would add your company's logo into the iPad and use it do magic. This increases marketing visibility and identity!

Check out the promo above to get a feel of what it is like for your clients to be at the cutting edge of magic! I would love to discuss with you further on thoughts, ideas and proposals for your event and your client!

Signing off,

Alexander Y.

Adult Parties

No no, not that kind of adult parties.

Most of the time when we think about parties, we are probably thinking about a children's birthday party or a drinking session in a club which you pass off as "party".

The truth be told, there are a lot of other parties adults throw for themselves, or for their partners. 

1. Birthday Parties
2. Anniversary Parties
3. Themed Gathering
4. Bachelorette's Night
5. Bachelor's Night
6. Company Appreciation
7. Guests Appreciation
8. Wine Tasting Parties
9. I-Have-Too-Much-Money-And-I-Don't-Know-How-To-Spend-It Party

And these are just a small handful of them. In fact, I will be very unbashful about this and say that I have in fact done all these parties in the above list, though number 5 was ... kind of weird.

My point is, the way we celebrate our moments has changed. Its not just about the food and drinks. It is about the ambiance (choosing the best venue), the entertainment and even the music.

Recently, I was engaged by a couple from India who flew all the way to host their 40th Wedding Anniversary in the lavish W Hotel. They also flew their friends and families, it was amazing.

A testament to my belief that magic isn't just for children, I did an picture prediction as part of my iPad Magic, and... who says adult can't have fun with magic. :P

It was really fun performing for the guests and VIPs from India. One thing I can be sure, magic does transcend culture.

Peace out!

Alexander Yuen

P.S, if you haven't done so, like my page on Facebook and follow me on instagram will ya!

CHINESE SPEAKING IPAD MAGICIAN IN SINGAPORE

The great thing about growing in Singapore is that almost everyone has to learn 2 languages in school. For me, it is Mandarin and English. English being my first language and Mandarin is my mother tongue. 

This is great because I am often booked for shows and events where I have to perform my iPad magic in a Chinese (or Mandarin). The ability to supplement my magic with language is adds a different dimension to the experience of watching the iPad magic. 

I can lead my audiences with stories through text and animations through the iPad and magic through sleight of hand. Compared to illusionists who performs old school illusions boxes after boxes, this modern and engaging form of magic is highly sought after.

If you are looking for a mandarin or chinese speaking iPad magician, drop me a text! 

Watch my iPad Magic in Chinese below!

BOOKING AND ENQUIRIES:

EMAIL ME AT INFO@METAILLUSIONS.COM

EVOLUTION OF AN ARTIST: IPAD DIGITAL MAGIC

One of the most unique services my team and I offer is our iPad Magic, in both roving format and theatrical format. Below is a teaser of our most recent customized commissioned project for DHL Asia Pacific Innovation Center:

It all began in 2012 when Jonathan (co-founder of Meta Illusions) came back from his stint in a tech start up at Silicon Valley and was invited to be featured in a Singapore Magic production called "M for Magic". Wanting to be different and to push the edge of magic, Jonathan designed routines and wrote specific codes for the iPad to make coins appear and disappear. Combined with strong magic and visual elements, we were proud to proclaim that we were doing magic that no one else in Singapore does. 

Watch the video below:

The magic was so sensational it got picked up by various media including Yahoo! News, Straits' Times RazorTV andNUS Post.

Because of the video, we found ourselves booked and commissioned by a Fortune 500 company to create a special iPad sequence to describe their production processes to the international dealers. Unfortunately, due to the sensitive content, we were unable to share our act publicly.

In December of 2012, we had a call from RazorTv wanting to do an exclusive interview with Jonathan and myself and our thoughts on iPad Magic. Once again, Jonathan and myself went back to the drawing board in a bid to create magic that is different and impactful.

You can see how we grew in terms of our magic as well as programming sophistication. The effects we did were more emotionally captivating and the apps we created were more complex than before.

From 2013 - 2014, we learned newer coding techniques and created apps for our professional usage, especially in the area of roving magic. Jonathan then took a hiatus on iOS magic programming as he took on a new role as the co-founder of another successful technological start up. The last video we created was a Christmas video in December 2014.

It was also during the same time I contemplated releasing some of the existing routines that we do professionally. But I took the leap of faith and released these videos.

The reception was overwhelming, both on YouTube and Facebook. Because of this video, I was chosen as a finalist for HP's YouTube Academy contest, in which I created other digital magic with a HP Laptop. I created a sequence in tribute to Singapore's Golden Jubilee Year in which we celebrated our 50th year of independence.

Also at the same time in June 2015, I was working closely with Esplanade to produce a show for Flipside Festival 2015 which involved digital elements to it. Because of its novel impact, the show was commissioned as the first digital magic illusion show in Esplanade. Read more about this show here!

Subsequently, the novelty and wow factor of these digital illusions caught on and I was commissioned to create more content for my clientele.

In December of 2015, I was consulted to design a digital illusion sequence for DHL's Innovation Center in Singapore. This is the first innovation center in Asia. They specifically wanted an illusion sequence that showcased innovation and technological progress.

And I was specifically told that the big illusion boxes, cutting and squeezing a girl in a box is out of the question.

I had to innovate.

Picture from: http://business.asiaone.com/news/dhl-launches-multi-million-dollar-innovation-centre-singapore

With a short timeline, I not only created an illusion sequence that hit their key messages with a punch but also presented it in a visually alluring manner. See teaser below:

It is very well received and I am in the midst of collaborating with other artist and agencies on this platform.

You can see how an artist grows in his/her art form. Innovation does not happen overnight, it is all built on and upon previous innovations. No different from magic.

It is coming to the close of 2015 as I am writing this, and when I reflect upon how our Digital Illusions have evolved, I am extremely thankful for the various opportunities and the (paid-off) leaps of faith agencies have with us. I dare say, thanks to our expertise, experience and amazing track record, we've earn their trust. That much, I am very thankful.

2016 is an exciting year ahead with more cutting edge innovations to come. 

Have a great Christmas, and see you in 2016!

Signing off,

Alexander Yuenrt form. Innovation does not happen overnight, it is all built on and upon previous innovations. No different from magic.

It is coming to the close of 2015 as I am writing this, and when I reflect upon how our Digital Illusions have evolved, I am extremely thankful for the various opportunities and the (paid-off) leaps of faith agencies have with us. I dare say, thanks to our expertise, experience and amazing track record, we've earn their trust. That much, I am very thankful.

2016 is an exciting year ahead with more cutting edge innovations to come. 

Have a great Christmas, and see you in 2016!

Signing off,

Alexander Yuen

CUSTOMIZED DIGITAL ILLUSIONS: DHL ASIA PACIFIC INNOVATION CENTER LAUNCH

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. 

 

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

1. The magic has to be presented in a modern and relevant platform; appropriate for the Innovation Center.
2. 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