• Home
  • About

Jack Shalom

~ Musings, Memories, and Magic

Jack Shalom

Tag Archives: Ralph Richardson

Attention, Attention, Attention

28 Tuesday Jul 2015

Posted by Jack Shalom in Books, Life, Magic, Music, Performance, Theatre, Writing

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

acting, art, attention, Buddhism, coin magic, Don Porcella, magic, misdirection, novel, performance, Ralph Richardson, song, street life, theater, theatre, writing, Zen

attentionA while back, I posted a photo of an intriguing street mural called “Wordscape” that I had come across while strolling in Brooklyn; at the time, I had no clue as to who the artist was, other than the name on the mural. Fortunately since then, I’ve been in phone contact with the artist, Don Porcella, who now lives in California. I had a great conversation with him, and in the near future I hope to post the audio of the interview here.

Until then, I just wanted to comment on one thing that Don said to me: when a person goes to a museum or gallery, the average time that the viewer interacts with a piece of art is just three to seven seconds—that’s it. The artist may have taken months or years bringing a project to fruition, but that three seconds could be the entire length of time that a viewer engages with the piece of art. So the artist’s  job, as Porcella sees it, is to somehow persuade or seduce a person to stay and engage and interact a little longer. He wants people to see through the surface, and then take the time to go a little deeper.

That resonated with me, because it seems as if in all the arts, there’s that obligation of baiting the hook for attention. It seems almost whorish. But the novelist is taught that the first few sentences have to grab, or no one’s going to read the rest; a musician has to have a musical hook that gets the audience humming or singing along; the old vaudeville maxim declared that “you gotta have a gimmick.” The great British actor Ralph Richardson once stated that the art of acting consisted of keeping the audience from coughing for two hours.

In magic, too, the first obligation is to get the audience’s attention. Indeed, it’s doubly important in magic: not only do magicians need your attention so that they can perform for you, they need first to receive your attention, so that later they can deceive your attention. There’s the story about a teacher of coin magic—I wish I could remember who it was!—who would stop his students’ rehearsals of coin sleights barely before they had begun. He would admonish them that they were attempting magic when they hadn’t even made eye contact with their spectators yet. Without engaging the audience’s attention, there is no hope of manipulating it.

There are crude ways of getting attention and more subtle, artistic ways. Attention is deeper and longer lasting when the viewer makes that decision without coercion. But without attention there can be no art either on the part of the artist or the part of the viewer.

There is a classic Zen Buddhist story that goes like this:

A student goes to a Zen Master: “Master, will you please write for me the essence of Zen?” The Master immediately takes out a brush and writes the word “Attention.”

“Is that all?” asked the man. “Can you explain more?”
The master then writes: “Attention, Attention.”

The bewildered student says, “I don’t understand.”
The master writes: “Attention, Attention, Attention.”

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Share on Tumblr
  • Email
  • Pocket
  • Print
  • WhatsApp

Like this:

Like Loading...

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Follow Jack Shalom on WordPress.com

Recent Posts

  • Amazing Feet of Juggling December 15, 2019
  • It’s The Thought That Counts: Simon Aronson, An Appreciation December 14, 2019
  • No Christmas in Kentucky December 13, 2019
  • Speak Not Of Opossums December 12, 2019
  • Wild Pitch December 11, 2019
  • All Keyed Up December 10, 2019
  • Beyond The Sea December 9, 2019
  • Put To The Test: A College Tale December 8, 2019
  • Lacey Superhighway December 7, 2019
  • The Word Wizard Returns: Bob and Ray December 6, 2019
  • C-3PO Uncensored December 5, 2019
  • Thanksgiving Day Awards December 4, 2019
  • Stevenson–Lost And Found December 3, 2019
  • You’re Just What I Needed December 2, 2019
  • Magic Magazine Junkie December 1, 2019
  • Crafty November 30, 2019
  • While My Guitar… November 29, 2019
  • Stand-Up Women: Reina and Toni November 28, 2019
  • Inquest November 27, 2019
  • War Is Kind November 26, 2019
  • Gentle On My Mind November 25, 2019
  • Modern Times November 24, 2019
  • Keeping A Close Eye November 23, 2019
  • Missing Cash November 22, 2019
  • Sharps And Flats November 21, 2019
  • Head Start November 20, 2019
  • Up On The Air: Michael Apted November 19, 2019
  • I Know A Little Bit About A Lot Of Things November 18, 2019
  • Stranger On A Train November 17, 2019
  • A Thumbnail Sketch November 16, 2019
  • “I Love You Ketchup” November 15, 2019
  • Pianissimo November 14, 2019
  • Immortality November 13, 2019
  • Last Call November 12, 2019
  • Rock ‘N’ Roll School November 11, 2019
  • Kid You Not November 10, 2019
  • Fifth Annual Contest Results! November 9, 2019
  • All Or Nothing At All: Frank Sinatra November 8, 2019
  • A Parent’s Confession November 7, 2019
  • Fall Thoughts November 6, 2019

Blogroll

  • (Roughly) Daily Everyday, two linked ideas, sure to fascinate
  • Alec Nevala-Lee Daily thoughtful literary essays
  • Anatomy of Teaching Reflections on teaching–practice, research and bureaucracy. John S. Macnab
  • Asylum Reviews of contemporary literature from around the world
  • Devoted to Movies Literate film review site
  • Diane Ravitch's Blog Indefatigable blogger re education issues. Takes on the charter school vultures, champions public education
  • Flavorwire Always something interesting here
  • Good Music Speaks a tasteful classical music blog
  • Great Reads
  • Learn Fun Facts Everyday, a new funny quote, puzzle, wordplay, or mathematical curiousity
  • Marilyn Vogt-Downey Radical Politics
  • maryxo music, art, sex & nerd culture from omaha
  • O at the edge Photography, poetry, language
  • RhysTranter.com Essays everyday on film, writing, and art
  • Scribblings Writing, Classics, Theatre, Books, Reviews
  • Street Photography Wonderful photography site. Consistently takes the photos I wish I had taken!
  • Systemic Disorder Brilliant economic analyses in everyday language
  • The Houdini File Excellent weekly magic blog by David Saltman
  • The Immortal Jukebox Music and Popular Culture
  • The Improvised Life One of my favorite blogs ever. Every day a new post on living spontaneously.
  • thepowerofwonder Magic, science, wonder
  • Wild About Harry Everything Houdini, including original historical investigations

Categories

  • About the Blog
  • Books
  • Comedy
  • Life
  • Magic
  • Music
  • Performance
  • Photography
  • Theatre
  • Uncategorized
  • Writing

Archives

  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014

Categories

  • About the Blog
  • Books
  • Comedy
  • Life
  • Magic
  • Music
  • Performance
  • Photography
  • Theatre
  • Uncategorized
  • Writing

Tags

acting animals art Arts Express birds Bob and Ray Bob Dylan book books cabaret card magic cards cartoon cartoons comedy contest dance education film folk guitar Hugh Laurie interview jazz Johnny Carson Josh Turner life Lynda Barry magic magician magicians Marlys MonaLisa Twins movie mural music nature New Yorker novel Paul Noth Paul Simon performance Phil Ochs photography poem poetry politics pop radio review revision rock Roz Chast satire school sculpture Shakespeare sign sketch sleight of hand song songwriting Stephen Fry street life street photography subway television theater theatre The Beatles The New Yorker travel Union Square WBAI writing

Blog at WordPress.com.

Cancel
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
%d bloggers like this: