AndreasandChrisEhrlichbelong to the
international eliteof illusionists.
They
havebeennamed“Magiciansof theYear”
twiceanddelight youngandoldalikewith
their uniquebrandofmagicduring their
tour.Shortlybefore theshow inStuttgart,
theEhrlichBrothers talkedabout how
it all started, how theybring their ideas
to lifeand the technicalwizardrybehind
their spectacular shows.
Interview
trends inautomation:
We’resittinghereon theset of your
show inStuttgart.Thesoundcheckand lighting testareunderway.
Three40-tonneMegalinersareparked in the courtyard. And
tomorrow it’son to thenext city. You’veenjoyeda rapid rise to
fame in recent years. Didyouever dream that youwouldoneday
fill venuesof thissize?
ChrisEhrlich:
Westartedoutwith just asmallmagic setwhen
wewere children.Never inourwildest imagination– thoughwith
our illusionsyouneedaprettyvivid imagination–wouldwehave
believed that thiswouldoneday lead tosuchhugesuccess.One
of the cornerstonesof our success isour loveof detail and the
determination toalwaysdobetter. After everyshowweanalyse
exactlyhow itwent, eliminatepotential for error and improve
our illusionswherever possible. Even thoughsomethingmay
lookperfect, for us it isnever onehundredper cent perfect.We
alwayswant to tryandmakeour shows just that littlebit better.
AndreasEhrlich:
For us it’s just thesameasworking in industry.
Wealsooperate ina continuous improvement process,whether
it’s for small tricksor big illusions.
Your showbegins in just a fewhours. Youseemvery relaxed–
asdoes theentire crew. Yet everythinghereseems to involvea
greatdeal of technical effort.Areyou familiarwithall of the tech-
nical detailsorareyou“merely” theartistswhodoall of thecrea-
tiveworkand leave the implementationside toyour co-workers?
ChrisEhrlich:
Weare thearchitectsof our productionsandwork
both inandon them– from the initial idea to thefinal technical
implementation. It’salwaysbeen thatway.Athomeweused
to
Theart
of illusion
