Prakash Puru + Tony Ro

Magicians are master manipulators of human perception. Neuroscientist Tony Ro shines a light on how sleight of hand diverts attention and distorts our perception, and how the brain processes illusion.

Brainwave is supported in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

About the Speakers

Born and raised in Singapore, Prakash Puru swiftly became the country’s leading close-up magician before immigrating to New York City in 2003. He became a featured performer at the longest-running magic show in the Manhattan’s history, has performed on Fox, been featured on NPR and PRI’s The World, profiled by Fortnight Journal, and is the co-creator of the hit off-Broadway show, STRANGE THINGS.

He is the co-founder of The Artifice Group, New York’s source for the finest magicians and mystery entertainers from across the globe. He frequently serves as a technical consultant for screen and stage productions. Recent projects include working with Suzan-Lori Parks on her Pulitzer Prize winning play, Topdog/Underdog, and teaching sleight-of-hand to actors at The Juilliard School’s Drama Division.

Additionally, he writes long-form articles for Genii, The Conjurer’s Magazine ““ the premier independent magazine in the world of magic today.

Tony Ro received his undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley and his PhD in Neuroscience from the University of California, Davis. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Cognitive Neuroscience at the University College London. He is currently a Presidential Professor in Psychology and Biology at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, where he teaches and conducts research on the neural mechanisms underlying sensation and perception. His research has been federally funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation and has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, National Geographic, PBS Newshour, and other media outlets.