Sawing your assistant in half just doesn’t cut it for Carleton’s magicians. For Christopher James Ouellete and Chris Pilsworth, being a magician is synonymous with being a psychologist, a performer, a designer and so much more.

“I’m not a big fan of magicians that go about it like they’re just presenting a trick because it removes the responsibility of them to improve the art form of what they do . . . and the impact it has on people,” Pilsworth says.

He pulls out a white silk scarf and then tucks it into the fist of his other hand. When he opens his palm it is gone — but he explains that it has merely come apart into little particles. His hands move through the air picking up seemingly invisible particles and pushing them back into his fist. When he opens his hand again, he smiles as he produces the scarf, completely intact.

Pilsworth performs a variety of magic including sleight of hand, but is most famous for his stage magic and unique props. He says many magicians have more problems with their tricks because they do not have a background in design and magic.