The Magic Fountaj Summit is an annual event that brings together professionals from the field of magic and illusion. The summit aims to foster collaboration and innovation among magicians, as well as provide a platform for them to showcase their skills and learn from each other. The summit features a variety of workshops and seminars led by renowned magicians, covering topics such as advanced sleight of hand techniques, stage management, and the psychology of magic. Participants have the opportunity to learn from the best in the field and gain new insights into their craft. In addition to the educational aspect, the Magic Fountaj Summit also includes performances by world-class magicians. These performances are not only entertaining but also serve as inspiration for attendees, who can witness firsthand the incredible feats that can be achieved through magic.
To begin, Campagna’s idea of Technic is by no means new. It is the latest in a long line of theories of the technological society. Indeed, to a select few writers in the twentieth century, the emerging landscape of high modernity presented itself not as an immense collection of commodities but an immense collection of technologies. The new machinery of the factory elicited a whole host of theories, from Oswald Spengler’s Man and Technics (1931) and Lewis Mumford’s Technics and Civilization (1934) all the way through Heidegger’s influential writings on technology and beyond to the writings of Ellul, Herbert Marcuse, and even Hannah Arendt. It should come as no surprise that this conception of the technological society (generally associated with the older model of industrial machinery) has made a comeback in our own period of cybernetic and information technology. The recent flood of books on the topic, both popular and academic, attests to this. But Campagna’s book distinguishes itself by offering an alternative system to the one that we live with today. Rather than merely understand the world, Campagna wants to change it.
It should go without saying that the concept of technology can never exist in isolation; the very act of naming it requires one to distinguish it from that enigmatic something else to which it is opposed, be it the ever-problematic and highly ideological categories of the natural or the organic. The two are similar in that they are not forms of organized revolt, dissidence, or resistance in any recognizable sense, but more individual acts of inner disobedience, which, when accumulated and undertaken by a large population, can add up to a significant amount of power.
These performances are not only entertaining but also serve as inspiration for attendees, who can witness firsthand the incredible feats that can be achieved through magic. One of the highlights of the summit is the Magic Fountaj Competition. This competition gives aspiring magicians the chance to showcase their skills and compete for recognition and prizes.
Technic and Magic
We take for granted that only certain kind of things exist – electrons but not angels, passports but not nymphs. This is what we understand as 'reality'. But in fact, 'reality' varies with each era of the world, in turn shaping the field of what is possible to do, think and imagine. Our contemporary age has embraced a troubling and painful form of reality: Technic.
Under Technic, the foundations of reality begin to crumble, shrinking the field of the possible and freezing our lives in an anguished state of paralysis. Technic and Magic shows that the way out of the present deadlock lies much deeper than debates on politics or economics. By drawing from an array of Northern and Southern sources – spanning from Heidegger, Junger and Stirner's philosophies, through Pessoa's poetry, to Advaita Vedanta, Bhartrhari, Ibn Arabi, Suhrawardi and Mulla Sadra's theosophies – Magic is presented as an alternative system of reality to Technic. While Technic attempts to capture the world through an 'absolute language', Magic centres its reconstruction of the world around the notion of the 'ineffable' that lies at the heart of existence.
Technic and Magic is an original philosophical work, and a timely cultural intervention. It disturbs our understanding of the structure of reality, while restoring it in a new form. This is possibly the most radical act: if we wish to change our world, first we have to change the idea of 'reality' that defines it.
Technic and Magic is divided into two sections, split down the middle through a brief intermezzo. The book forms a mirror image of itself, where the first reality-setting described (our hegemonic episteme of Technic) is reflected in its opposite, the more wholesome cosmology that Campagna calls Magic. It is important to underscore that Technic does not describe technology—the objects and devices that make up the infrastructure of world—as an isolated concept per se, but, following Heidegger, names a sort of totality. Technic is, as Campagna sees it, the logic of our current system. This technical totality manifests itself in the degradations of lived experience in the advanced capitalist countries. The accumulation of such degradations (such as the rise of homo economicus, the objectification of subjectivity, the triumph of the quantitative over the qualitative, and so on) has resulted in a ‘crisis of imagination’. But for Campagna this is something like a spiritual crisis, one whose solution cannot be found with a mere political fix (both socialism and capitalism are beholden to the logic of Technic, according to Campagna) but requires a more subtle, interior shift within the subjects and citizens of Technic’s world.
Participants are judged on their technical ability, creativity, and stage presence, among other criteria. The competition serves as a platform for emerging talents to gain exposure and connect with industry professionals. Throughout the summit, there are also opportunities for networking and socializing. Magicians from around the world come together to share their experiences, exchange ideas, and build professional relationships. This networking aspect is a crucial part of the summit, as it allows participants to widen their horizons and learn from the diverse perspectives of their peers. The Magic Fountaj Summit is a must-attend event for anyone passionate about magic and illusion. Whether you are a seasoned professional or just starting out, the summit offers a wealth of knowledge and inspiration to help you take your craft to the next level..
Reviews for "Journey to the Top: Ascending the Magic Fountaj Summit"
1. Sarah - 2/5 stars - I was really disappointed with the Magic Fountaj Summit. The whole experience felt very underwhelming and overpriced. The so-called "magic" fountains were more like regular water features you can find at any shopping mall. The summit itself lacked any real substance and seemed like a money-grabbing scheme. I expected to be amazed and enchanted, but instead, I left feeling let down and wanting my money back.
2. John - 1/5 stars - What a waste of time and money! The Magic Fountaj Summit was a complete disaster. The organization was chaotic, with long lines and poor crowd control. The so-called magic shows were amateurish at best, with cheesy tricks that were more suitable for a children's birthday party. The summit lacked any cohesiveness, and it felt more like a random assortment of events rather than a coherent experience. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone.
3. Emily - 2/5 stars - I had high hopes for the Magic Fountaj Summit, but unfortunately, it fell short in almost every aspect. The venue was poorly designed, with limited seating and poor visibility of the main stage. The entertainment was lackluster, and the performances were unimpressive. The summit lacked a clear focus and direction, leaving me feeling confused and disengaged throughout the event. Overall, it was a letdown, and I wouldn't bother attending again in the future.