Mathieu Villatelle, mentalist, performing in Toulouse this Thursday: “everyone is manipulable! “
The Toulouse Museum is hosting “Cerebro”, an interactive mental magic show this Thursday, September 30, at 6.30 pm Thanks to the talent of Matthieu Villatelle, spectators are discovering how sensitive they can be to manipulation techniques.
What is the objective of this show?
The idea is to use the tools of the mentalist to evoke manipulation and recruitment. Rather than telling the viewer about it, I wanted them to experience it emotionally. The show is really put together as a recruiting technique. The first part is relaxed, I explain to people the mechanisms put in place in the personal development programs, and as the show goes on, without them realizing it, the experiences become more and more dangerous. , the atmosphere more and more unpleasant and I speak less and less. But the trust relationship has been put in place, so I can send them anywhere, even to places that look dangerous from the outside. The idea is to decipher the recruitment mechanisms. Once you trust someone it is very difficult to question that trust and this is where people can take advantage of it. The idea is to make the spectators feel this limit. At the end, I decipher the show with them.
Can you tell us about the experiences that will take place?
I can’t say too much because it’s a surprise. The idea is to give the power of the mentalist to the audience. On stage, we see the spectator who begins to read the thoughts of other spectators. As the show goes on, I will get them to do more and more dangerous things: we will twist an iron bar with the skin of the neck, walk on crushed glass, at the end there is also an experience with a shard of a bottle.
Does everyone make sense?
Everyone is easy to handle, sensitive to suggestion, and is born with that! We spend our screws to be manipulated, it is not necessarily unpleasant besides. It feels like the mentalist can do amazing things in life, but he loses his power once he gets off the stage. He makes believe that he is a specialist in psychology, NLP, etc., while he uses the tools of a magician.
Is manipulation more present than before in our society?
Manipulation has always been present. Sectarian mechanisms are present everywhere but with the Internet, they are more publicized. We put scientists and ordinary people at the same level, there is no longer any sorting or filtering. It can be very dangerous.
Between scientific knowledge and occult knowledge
The Magies-Sorcelleries exhibition, at the Museum until January 2, 2022, explores the border between scientific knowledge and occult knowledge. “It sheds light on troubling realities, whispers certain puzzling truths and plunges us into the heart of the major questions that permeate the zeitgeist. Echoing the exhibition, the Jeudis du Muséum this year focuses on occult culture and technological witchcraft. This Thursday, the Museum looks at mentalism, with an interactive show of mental manipulation. Cerebro invites us to reflect on relationships of trust and persuasion and leads viewers to decipher certain behaviors and develop their intuition. Free admission. Please note, this show is not recommended for children under 16.