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'Designing Deceptions' Dr. Matt Pritchard
The Order of The Magi
Tuesday 13th May 2025
Reviewed by Jonathan Royle
On
Tuesday 13th May 2025, The Order of The Magi were treated to something far more
than your average magic lecture. We were whisked into the wonderfully wired
world of science magician Dr Matt Pritchard, a true “Curator of Wonder,” whose
talk “Designing Deceptions: The Art and Science of Illusions” was equal
parts mind-blowing spectacle and deep-dive masterclass.
Now, if you’ve ever seen Matt perform—perhaps at the Blackpool Magic Convention
2022 where he left a packed audience of magicians in awe—you’ll know that his
reputation precedes him.
But nothing quite prepares you for the delightful madness that is Matt Pritchard
live and in full flow. A man who looks and sounds like he’s just stepped out of
a lab and a theatre, he doesn’t just perform illusions—he deconstructs
reality and then rebuilds it using magnets, mirrors, mind games and a touch of
mischievous science.
This lecture was bursting at the seams with ideas and practical takeaways for
magicians of all stripes. Whether you’re a hobbyist tinkering at home or a
working pro crafting a stage illusion, Matt had something for you—from ingenious
gimmicks built with elastic cords and magnets, to subtle psychological insights
like how visual imperfections can paradoxically make an illusion seem
more real.
One of the standout illusions of the evening? A miniature teleportation device,
fusing black art, electronic trickery, and a potential for identical
twins-powered stage grandeur. It was one of those effects that made the whole
room go silent for a second as brains collectively rebooted. If scaled up, it
could easily become the stage teleportation illusion of the century.
Matt’s mad scientist energy is more than just an act—he truly straddles the
worlds of academic science and professional magic.
With a background in atomic physics (and a stint as a diary-cover-featured
researcher at Durham University), he brings a depth of knowledge that he distils
into astonishingly creative illusions. Oh, and did we mention he’s one of only
300 Associates of the Inner Magic Circle?
One routine, deceptively simple but deceptively devious, involved two giant
matchboxes and a stuffed toy dog. What began as a charmingly odd setup quickly
spiralled into a clever experiment in suggestion and influence, leaving
mentalists in the room scribbling notes furiously. It was playful,
psychological, and profoundly practical.
Along the way, Matt name-dropped gems like Mario Marchese’s book “Robot Magic”
and quoted P.T. Barnum (“Exposing an illusion is not the same as revealing a
truth”), all while demonstrating how he creates his viral illusions—yes,
those ones that people online wrongly accuse of using CGI. Spoiler alert:
it’s all real. No camera tricks, unless you consider the careful use of angles
as a trick which personally I do not. Rather there is just mind-bending
mechanical design, optical science, and a lot of clever thinking.
One of the most memorable moments was a Harry Potter-themed wall penetration
illusion using autostereograms and forced perspective—a perfect example of
Matt’s habit of borrowing ideas from outside magic (optics, engineering,
psychology) and giving them a showbiz makeover. And for the magic history buffs,
there were plenty of satisfying nods to legends like Terri Rogers, Lubor
Fiedler, and even Tenyo—with Matt openly acknowledging their influence while
pushing their ideas into fresh, futuristic realms.
It’s not often you attend a lecture where you feel your brain and your
imagination are being pulled in opposite directions at high speed—and enjoying
every second of it. Matt doesn’t just teach tricks—he teaches a way of thinking
& creating miracles. He reminds us that the “how,” the “now,” and the “wow”
are all part of the same glorious puzzle.
Thanks must go to our club president, Matt Darren, for bringing Dr Pritchard to
our humble stage—a coup that deserves a standing ovation in itself. This was a
lecture that left us wide-eyed, grinning, and scribbling ideas like mad
scientists ourselves.
Final verdict?
If your magic club is looking for a lecture that’s equal parts entertainment,
education, and outright inspiration—book Dr Matt Pritchard. Immediately.
You’ll laugh, you’ll learn, and you’ll probably leave questioning the very
fabric of visual reality.
Check out videos of Matt’s amazing creations on his Perspectricks - optical
illusions and science trickery Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/groups/354381428928821
Website:
www.sciencemagicshows.co.uk
★★★★★ No camera tricks required. Jonathan Royle –
www.magicalguru.com.
© Jonathan Royle, May 2025