Portland artist Carl Diehl presents the Chicago premiere of Painless Magic, his 65 minute documentary that chronicles the histories of his grand-uncle — the late, great Chicago magician, vaudevillian, and comedy emcee, Werner “Dorny” Dornfield (1892 -1982). This kaleidoscopic account of curiosity, camaraderie, and creativity shimmers with ephemera from the Golden Age of stage magic and beyond, and intrigues with anecdotes from magicians, historians, & Dorny’s oldest surviving relatives.  

As with any magic act, misdirection abounds, and Painless Magic wanders through a world bigger than the portrait it first appears to be! Through conversations with experimental filmmakers, performance artists, musicians, and philosophers, Diehl unveils shared sensibilities across contexts of art, magic, & everyday life.

Q+A with Carl Diehl after screening

Plus! Chicago’s own Omnia Sol is poised to astonish! Revel at their sleight-of-hand in the glitch art arena!  Expect a vidsonic romp through haunted media and magic scapes, an expanded cinema spectacle par excellence, conjured live before your very eyes and ears!

$10 - 20 Sliding Scale

More information:
https://www.electronicelsewhere.com/painless-magic
https://omniasol.art/