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Surrealist art and the entire surrealist movement have had a great influence on Jordan as a performer.
Many people may wonder how surrealism relates to magic. Magic is the ultimate surreal art, although many performers fail to recognize and realize this quality. As an avid reader of the Surrealist Manifestoes and other works of Andre Breton, Jordan discovered an interesting link between magic and surrealism. Many people incorrectly define the word 'surreal' as meaning 'weird' or 'bizarre'. Surrealism was defined in 1924 by Andre Breton as “pure, psychic automatism”. Thus, the unconscious mind is free to create.
In essence, magic is the process
of creating an illusion of reality just as the word surreal can be broken
down (sur-real) to mean above reality. Once Jordan recognized this connection,
he began looking to artists and thinkers involved in the surrealist
movement for inspiration. This led him to people like Man Ray, Max Ernst,
Rene
Magritte, Salvador Dali, and the filmmaker Luis Bunuel. Today, Jordan looks
to these artists’ writings,
paintings, and films for inspiration in his own art. He enjoys the process
of taking irrational thought into creating surreal routines and effects
for
magic.
Other artists have also had
an impact on Jordan's work. Maya Deren, for example, was an experimental filmmaker back in the 40’s and 50’s who
made films that depicted psychological thought processes. While she
only made six films in her short lifetime, each one is so unique and
amazing to watch that Jordan is continually inspired by them.
The work of the poet Anne Sexton is another of Jordan's inspirations.
Jordan was never an avid reader of poetry until he discovered her
work. What makes her
so
inspirational, is the fact that she was one of the first poets to
pour her own feelings and private troubles into her work. She went against
the male domination of the time and used poetry as a form of therapy for
her troubled self. She wasn’t writing for anyone’s approval
or to become a successful or famous poet, yet today she is still considered
to be one of the greats.
Finally, the work of Peter Gabriel has been a big inspiration to Jordan. Both Gabriel's music and his conceptual artistry in his music videos and live tours are astounding. His lyrics and music fill Jordan's mind with wonderful images and thoughts inspiring him to create a wide variety of visual magic effects.
Main | The Man | The Magic | The Muse | The Mania
© 2007 Jordan Wright