Metal Bending is a genre of Mentalism that has become a lot more popular in recent years. For many years however, it was very rarely seen and only ever spoken about when people mentioned Uri Gellar in conversation.
What Uri Gellar did with some simple and direct demonstrations of metal bending was amazing. He inspired almost everyone who owned a television at that time to believe in the power of mind over matter. Millions of people worldwide would be heard shouting “BEND” at their TV screens on a Saturday night just willing a fork to bend in Uri’s hands!
This is how powerful metal bending can be.
Here are 5 reasons why metal bending still is some of the strongest magic you can perform.
1) A lot of people still believe telekinesis is possible.
To a lot of people telekinesis is an ability we all have but just can’t tap into, so if you can portray the illusion that you can tap into your ability then it instantly is more believable than say, a card repeatedly coming to the top of a deck of playing cards. Metal bending is believed to be a real phenomenon, (which it may be, who knows?!) to a lot of people. Therefore, if a spectator were to encounter metal bending in real life then this experience would be much like if they spoke with a psychic or fortune teller. They automatically believe that it is real as their primary belief is that it IS possible to do.
2) It cannot be explained as sleight of hand by a lay person.
Any card trick can be explained in the eyes of a spectator as ‘sleight of hand’. Now, nearly everyone who says this does not understand what sleight of hand really is. Sayings like ‘the hand is faster than the eye’ or ‘very good with your hands’ are the extent of the explanations you will receive from a lay person when asked what they think sleight of hand is. Metal bending does not fall into this trap (unless performed very badly). It cannot be explained as ‘being clever with your hands’.
3) Some visual bends are undeniable.
Thanks to some amazing minds in magic such as Banachek, Morgan Strebler and Dee Christopher there are some very visual bends that can be performed with regular metal cutlery that are undeniable. What do I mean by that? I mean that the spectator sees the metal bending before their very eyes. It is the old saying, ‘I’ll believe it when I see it.’ the spectator’s see it, so they believe it.
4) There is lasting evidence of the magic that occurred.
Metal bending is one of the types of magic tricks that finishes with evidence of what has just happened. You begin with a straight, regular fork or key, coin or nail, and you end with it bent, distorted or twisted, it is proof of what has just occurred. Also, it is a very bizarre sight, no one in their right mind would actually bend their cutlery, so the image of a twisted and bent fork is a very strong and bizarre image.
5) Metal Bending is still shrouded in mystery.
Everybody has seen, or knows a simple card trick, even if it is just the one with three piles of seven cards! There has been tonnes of exposure and trick decks sold in toy stores; There are whole sections in magic books for beginners on Card Magic Tricks, some are common knowledge, and although most of the secrets are still secret the mystery has been lost, the performer, with his or her performance, can bring back the mystery and feel of magic, but card tricks especially are seen as tricks, not magic. Metal Bending is still mysterious and not common place in magic sets, toy stores or even in magic shops, this certainly helps gives you the edge as a performer.
As mentioned previously, metal bending has become more popular in recent years, thanks to magicians such as Banchek, Dee Christopher and Morgan Strebler. So studying and learning some of these secret techniques is easier than ever before.
