Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2011/January 2012 | Page 134

ENTERTAINMENT Aaron's magical mystery tour By Peter White Aaron Isted often disappears off the Island for a while, but that is not one of his many tricks! Aaron has built a reputation as an excellent magician and illusionist, and as such has been invited to display his talents not just nationwide, but as far away as the United States. The 23 year-old from Ventnor captivates audiences wherever he goes, and has graduated from just working his magic at small functions and gatherings to performing high profile stunts that have left onlookers gasping in disbelief. Aaron has recently returned from his second visit to the US, and Island Life caught up with him to see just what prompted him to take up his unusual profession, and what plans he has for the future. He revealed that it all began when he was just five years old, and like so many youngsters of that age he was given a magic set for Christmas. But instead of opening the box, having a look at it, and then discarding it in favour of another present, he persevered. “I had a Paul Daniels set because he was big at the time, and I enjoyed 134 www.visitislandlife.com doing the tricks. I’ve got a brother and two sisters, and I am sure they had magic sets as well, but never really bothered with them. I started buying books about magic and remember going to the magic shop in Shanklin to buy my first proper trick. “I had a lot of encouragement from my family, who would sit and watch my tricks, even if they weren’t enjoying it. Seriously they were very supportive, and if I got a trick wrong, I would keep practising until I got it right. I used to do a little show at Christmas, and my grandfather, who is a carpenter, built me a small table with the word ‘Magic’ written on the front.” Aaron attended St. Boniface Primary, Ventnor Middle and Medina High Schools and then studied graphic design photography at the IW College. He has used that to good advantage since, using his skills not only to design his website but to also plan some of his tricks and illusions. “I was doing magic while I was at College, but I thought graphic design would help teach me to do it that bit better. I also did magic at school, and when I was old enough I started going into a few restaurants and hotels on the Island to perform. At one time I used a ‘trick pack’ of cards for a certain trick, but now I use standard playing cards for all my tricks.” One trick that always captivates his audience is when someone signs a card, returns it to the pack, and Aaron produces it from inside his wallet that has been tucked away in an inside pocket! He decided he wanted to become a professional magician and illusionist while he was at High School, and even though he won the school’s Entertainer of the Year award, one teacher wrote on his end-of-term report ‘put those cards away!’ He smiled: “I did get told off a few times!” As his career blossomed he was inspired by the likes of renowned stars David Blaine and David Copperfield, and although he still does his ‘close up’ magic, he has moved on to perform some amazing big-stage illusions, which have mesmerised his audiences