Researcher and performer at SOMA.
The Science of Magic Association (SOMA) brings scientists and magicians together to study how magic works in the mind. I'm a researcher and performer for SOMA, and presented this work at its Las Vegas conference.
Can people who are blind experience magic? Most people say no. Our research says otherwise. Working with blind and low-vision participants, we built illusions from touch, sound, and expectation instead of sight.
Magic for the Blind: Are Auditory Tricks Impossible?
Gustav Kuhn · Tyler Gibgot · Cyril Thomas · Vebjørn Ekroll · Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 2024
Kuhn, G., Gibgot, T., Thomas, C. and Ekroll, V., 2024. Magic for the blind: are auditory tricks impossible? Trends in Cognitive Sciences.
Read at Cell.com → The MAGIC Lab · INSIGHT Project More than meets the eye. Making magic possible without sight. Through INSIGHT, I collaborated with 20+ organizations serving blind and low-vision communities around the world, in person and virtually. It was the first time I met people who shared my circumstance. Explore the project →I also went on several podcasts to talk about the findings. Listen here.
While recovering from surgery, I flew to Las Vegas to present this research at the Science of Magic Conference. That talk was the culmination of my time at SOMA so far, and more projects are underway there. I'm still in touch with the blind and low-vision communities from our research, and I'll be speaking at a conference in Paris in November 2027.
Watch the complete Vegas presentation
Watch on Vimeo →
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