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Portland based artist Carl Diehl presents Painless Magic, a film about the life and lessons of his grand uncle Dorny, a popular entertainer in the first half of the 20th century. Embellished with animation and vaudeville era ephemera, Dorny’s history includes Harry Houdini and Howard Thurston, prohibition era pranks, a WWI variety theater troupe, and the Magic Capital of the World.As with any magic act, misdirection abounds and Painless Magic includes a world bigger than the portrait it appears to be. Through a collage-like constellation of conversations with historians, magicians, contemporary artists, and Dorny’s oldest surviving relatives, Diehl unveils the social scaffolding of creative problem-solving across contexts of art, magic, and everyday life. What begins as the story of the magician Werner “Dorny” Dornfield, splinters into a mosaic of many riddles and revelations.
Painless Magic is based on research, interviews, and writing that Carl first produced as the zine-like book, Misdirections: A Serio-Comic Catalogue of Details, Detours, & Derivations from the Life of the Magician, Vaudevillian, & Comedy Emcee, Werner “Dorny” Dornfield, in 2022. This event features an introduction by Carl Diehl, then a screening of his newly completed film, followed by Q+A. Copies of the Misdirections book will be available for purchase.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
700 SW Madison Ave, Corvallis, OR, United States, Oregon 97333
