Hi. I'm wondering if anyone on the Café has a good method for displaying a six-foot silk after production? I've got lots of ways of producing the silk, but I'm wondering how other solo performers (no assistant) handle this. Do you bring up a spectator to hold the other end?

My arms are long enough that I can display it outstretched between my arms.

Another option to attach it to the corner of a table. Ward Thomas did it this way.

Richard

If you are on a stage, you can rig a fish line to pull the silk upward and outward for a very magical display. The fish line is powered by gravity- weights that rest on shelves mounted high up on the backstage wall. Attach the fish line loops to the two marked corners of the six foot silk, then pull on the lines to knock the weights off the shelves and allow gravity to pull the silk upward and outward. If the fish line is invisible, so much the better, but it's just a stage display, not a magic trick in itself, so if the line it seen, it's no big deal.

Regarding Richard's option, you can have wooden dowels or fish poles with magnets at the tips and a table or other place to anchor the non-magnetic end. Attach the corner ends of the silks via magnets to the magnet ends of the poles, then place first one pole and then the other pole into the display stand to draw up the silk to show the design.

The line with weights was used by Mac Birch for his big finale of huge 10' silk at the end of his silk routine.

Also featured by Yen Soo Kim (Kuma) at the end of his Kuma tube presentation . when the monster silk (larger than 6 feet) was produced, it was attached to the lines at it emerged from the tubes. as it expanded it covered Kuma for a moment or two...when he emerged from behind it...he had changed costumes!


regards-J. Neal

Thanks for the ideas, gentlemen. I was familiar with the strings and weights idea, but didn't want to add another big prop to carry. For me, Richard's idea of using my table intrigues me. I'm thinking I could produce a small appearing pole (shower curtain rod cover) with some Velcro on it and place it into a holder on my table.

Thanks again!

I remember reading of that string and weights idea, in some book EONS ago! It was such a practical, simple way of getting that silk displayed! --Only, doing three a day in different schools, DID make it "somewhat" impossible.

I never got to see Mac Birch's show. --or Kuma either.

Steve you are overthinking this. Just attach the silk to the edge of the table and stretch it out. It will display it pretty well without adding a rod.

Think Velcro
Think Jet-Set (Abbots)
Think of method of applying silk with velcro on velcro receiver on jet-set WITHOUT turning your back on the audience.
Decide if you want to use the silk as a background or set piece after its production or how to remove the rig -- without turning your back on the audience.

I usually produced six footers (with very short arms here) and out them on the jet-sets fior display near the end of the act -- and closed with lighting down on stage (putting the silks almost jun dark) and doing an effect that used a small personal spotlight or only a spot and downlight on the closing effect that would not distract the audience eye the silks ---

GC