Magicana is pleased to announce the Lyons Den, a new column of commentary and reviews by Jamy Ian Swiss.
Jamy Ian Swiss is considered one of the most insightful, frank and honest critics in the history of magic. He is also recognized as one of the premier sleight-of-hand artists in the world today and has appeared on many television shows, including multiple performances on The Today Show and The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson.
Mr. Swiss’s work has been profiled in various publications including The New Yorker, and he has served as writer and consultant for a number of television projects including Penn & Teller’s Sin City Spectacular and the high-tech series, The Virtual Magician for Marco Tempest. He was also a featured performer for the PBS documentary, The Art of Magic, and co-authored a companion book of the same title. Mr. Swiss is also the author of Shattering Illusions and Devious Standards.
Mr. Swiss will now be providing online content on a regular basis for Magicana which can be found here www.magicana.com/lyonsden. His first review will be released this Friday, October 21, featuring the new book The Performance Pieces & Divertissements of the Famous Handsome Jack etc. by Handsome Jack and annotated by John Lovick.
Funding for this project is provided by an endowment to Magicana by the late Pat Lyons. Pat was an accomplished commercial artist, pulled into the world of magic by her husband, P. Howard Lyons. Together they created Ibidem, combining Pat’s individually silkscreened covers and interior illustrations with Howard’s curatorial eye for creative approaches to magic. The Lyons Den, named in honour of Pat and Howard, is just the first of a variety of initiatives being developed by Magicana thanks to the generosity and vision of Pat Lyons.
For more information about the Lyons Den or Mr. Swiss, please contact Julie Eng, Executive Director of Magicana (julie@magicana.com).
Magicana is a performance arts organization and registered charity dedicated to the study, exploration and advancement of magic as a performing art. It is located in Toronto, Canada but also operates internationally through its online initiatives. For more information, visit www.magicana.com.
