An In-Depth Conversation with Keith Hart – The Master Behind Black Artefacts

Mark Dilliway - Interview with The Black Hart

September 2024

It is with great excitement and gratitude that I present this exclusive interview with Keith Hart, the mastermind behind Black Artefacts. Keith, a true pioneer in the world of bizarre magic, making this an extraordinary and invaluable opportunity for those within our community. His work, which blends storytelling, history, and an unmistakable aura of the macabre, has shaped the landscape of bizarre magic in profound ways.

Keith's deep dedication to the craft, coupled with his wealth of experience, shines through in every answer he has so generously shared with us. From the origins of Black Artefacts to the nuances of performance and the role of storytelling in creating that perfect frisson of fear and wonder, Keith’s insights offer an unparalleled look into the heart of bizarre magic. His YouTube series, "Lessons in the Presentation of Bizarre Magic," has already offered so much to aspiring performers, and his detailed reflections in this interview only further cement his legacy as a master of the art.

For those who wish to dive deeper into the strange and wonderful world of bizarre magic, this interview is a treasure trove of knowledge, full of both practical advice and philosophical musings on the nature of the craft. Whether you are a seasoned performer or just beginning to explore the darker corners of magic, Keith's words will resonate and inspire.

You can find all of the products created by The Black Hart on his website here:

Home (blackhart.co.uk)

Please do have a visit, there is so much wonderful Bizarre magic to discover.

Without further ado, I am proud to present this rare and insightful interview with the one and only Keith Hart.

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1.     Origins of Black Artefacts:  Could you share the story behind Black Artefacts? What inspired you to create a platform dedicated to bizarre magic, and how has it evolved over the years?

The genesis of Black Artefacts goes back to my early performing days. Gordon Astley, my good friend and theatrical director for Black Hart Productions, encouraged me to write a book about my experiences. This became Black Book One. I offered the manuscript to a well-known magic book publisher (now no longer in business), and they offered me what I considered a meagre sum for the rights, which I declined. I decided that I would be better off selling the book myself, however I did not have any ‘platform’ for doing so, as this was when ‘the internet’ was only just developing.

In the meantime, Gordon and I had decided to set up a convention for Bizarre Magicians (Meeting of The Mages) here in the UK, based at our Haunted House venue, Berrow Court, Edgbaston, Birmingham. In order to attract attendees, I decided that everyone would get a copy of Black Book One, and also to try and make the event profitable I packaged up a few interesting artefacts that I had to sell during the weekend. Naturally as they were ‘artefacts’ and I had Black Book One and I was The Black Hart, I sold them under the banner of Black Artefacts, and the brand was born!

With great serendipity, about the same time Gordon and I were at a meeting of the Wolverhampton Magic Circle and Gordon was talking to Donald Bevan, editor and publisher of Abracadabra (known affectionately as Abra), the weekly magic magazine (now sadly no longer published – killed by the internet). Donald mentioned to Gordon that one of his advertisers had stopped advertising, so he had a vacant space on the rear cover. Gordon called me over. I did not know Donald at that time. Anyway, Gordon suggested that I take the space. Apart from Black Book One I didn’t have anything to sell, but despite that I signed up there and then, and thought that I’d worry about what to sell later. It would be good promotion for Black Hart Productions in any case.

Right from the get-go I decided that unlike many of Abra’s regular advertisers that I would submit new copy every week, which I did. Needing something to advertise, apart from my book, I set about putting together a few of the effects that I was performing at our Haunted House Nights. I think that I sold Power of The Runes, Sign of Satan and Stairway to Hell. Sign of Satan is my all-time favourite effect and if I could only keep one effect that would be it without a doubt. Power of the Runes later morphed into Power of The Tarot and Stairway to Hell has been further developed and improved, and all are still available today.

In those early days I had a printed catalogue, on A4 sheets of paper which I printed myself. Now many of your younger readers will find this laughable, but to get a catalogue you had to write to me, or telephone and I would print out a catalogue and post it off. Crikey, many of today’s youth will have no idea what we are talking about! Then, to order an Item you had to write to me and send a cheque (remember those?). I would then post the item. The whole process could easily take two or three weeks! Amazon Prime and Just Eat, were as feasible as Star Trek in those days!

By now the Internet was developing and at the same time my catalogue was getting bigger and bigger and being in colour was getting expensive to print and post, so I decided to go on-line, and we were one of the first magic dealers in the UK to do so.  The first website was, to be honest, rather crude, just one very long page and no shopping cart! But now you could email your order, however you still had to send a cheque by post.

Next huge development was the shopping cart I added, along with credit card payments and later PayPal. As an aside, PayPal was started by Elon Musk, who I have met and worked with, but that is another story.

I’ve rambled on so much that I’ve forgotten the question! Oh yes. What inspired you to create a platform dedicated to bizarre magic, and how has it evolved over the years?

Having the shopping cart and developed the website, all of which I do myself, so if it’s rubbish it’s all my fault, the next logical step was to make some videos to showcase the effects. That is where YouTube came in about 6 years ago when I began filming some of my effects. I always try to film in one take viewed from above so that the prospective purchaser can see it exactly as the spectator would.

Having begun that, it seemed natural to add a few extra videos of various Bizarre Magic. Then about 3 years ago I thought that I’d make a short video about handling cards, Tarot and ‘normal’ while performing Bizarre Magic. It was not meant to be a series but having done it other ‘tips’ that I could upload occurred to me, and the series Lessons in the Presentation of Bizarre Magic was born. I had seen so much rubbish on the internet presented as Bizarre Magic, when it was anything but spooky, frightening or bizarre, that more ideas for lessons occurred to me.

One thing that I promised myself that I would not do was to give myself a schedule for publishing these videos. I upload a video when I feel that I have something useful to add and not just for the sake of ‘content’. The videos are not meant for the general viewer but are aimed squarely at those with a serious interest in Bizarre Magic and who want to improve their performances.

2.     Personal Journey:  How did you first become involved in the world of bizarre magic? Were there any particular experiences or influences that drew you to this path?

I had been interested in magic since I was a child, when an uncle (well actually a wartime friend of my father, but in those days as children we always referred to friends of our parents as uncle or aunty) showed me a couple of magic tricks, one of which where he would make a coin disappear then reappear behind my ear. I was very impressed. I also regularly visited my local library and by accident came across a whole section on the paranormal. Wow, I was intrigued. I must have read every book in there, and there were a lot! Ghosts, poltergeists, haunted houses (I remember reading about Borley Rectory) and mysterious happenings. I was at times scared and thrilled, and I suppose this early reading experience permeated my psyche and left an indelible impression. As I got a bit older, I would go into town to the Futurist Cinema and sneak in to see the horror films they showed, so I began immersing myself into that world.

Then as an adult family came along and I began to do a few magic tricks at my daughter’s birthday parties. One of which I remember was ‘The Haunted Hanky’, a rather light version though as it was for children! Another was Laura the Psychic Ladybird! A toy ladybird would find a playing card that had been chosen by the child. Come to think of it that itself is rather bizarre!

Then I discovered that there were such things as magic clubs, and indeed there was one in Birmingham, The British Magical Society, which I joined. This was really the first time I met other magicians and one evening they had an auction, and I purchased the book that really set me off on my bizarre magical journey – Spirit Theatre by the late great Eugene Burger. Until then my interest in the paranormal and the mysterious had remained separate, but after reading Eugene’s book it all clicked together in perfect harmony. That was it, I had found my magical home! I now have a collection of his books including his posthumously released From Beyond and Final Secrets. I purchased them as they were released, and Final Secrets was published in 2021 but I so far have not been able to bring myself to read the last chapter, as when I have read it then there will be no more ‘new’ works of his to read, such is my respect for Eugene.

Spirit Theatre inspired me to set up my own Haunted House Nights, through which I met Gordon Astley, a great friend and mentor who became Theatrical Director for Black Hart Productions. Gordon and I have travelled the UK with our various productions and doing Tarot and Rune readings for corporate events. Even though we now both live far from each other I regularly send Gordon prototypes of my new effects for his input.

Gordon was brilliant as a part of the Black Hart Productions team, a fantastic performer, Master of Ceremonies and director. Gordon would watch each of my Black magic Theatre Show and Séances from the back. He would visually signal me if I needed to speak up or to make my actions more visible. He also taught me how to cut items from the act until it was precise and tight.

We tried many different venues and presentations. We even booked ourselves into many psychic events which were full of ‘shut eye’ readers and so-called psychics. With our Bizarre Magic experience and adding a little ‘extra’ to our readings, we were able to stand out from the other readers and end up with long queues awaiting rune and tarot readings with us.

3.     Creative Process:  Your creations have a unique blend of history, mystery, and storytelling. Could you walk us through your creative process when developing a new piece or performance?

Now there really is the $64,000 question, to which there is no simple answer!

Well, I am also interested in history, theatre and writing, all of which combine when I am developing a new effect. Often effects are based on some real event or place. But the big question is where do the ideas come from?

Sometimes I will come across an object that inspires me, or it may be a story that I have read. I also love to take existing ‘normal’ magic effects and develop them with a bizarre presentation. For example, ‘The Psychokinetic Bolt’, a proprietary effect that I developed as ‘A Séance for Uncle Charles’, which can be seen in Lessons in the Presentation of Bizarre Magic on my YouTube channel. Another is Night of the Demon, (available exclusively from Black Artefacts) which is based on the effect Wild Card. Indeed, as I have mentioned my all-time favourite is Sign of Satan which is a version of Ali Bongo’s (Willian Oliver Wallace) Fred the Red! Another example in a recent ‘lesson’ (number 17) on YouTube is my bizarre version of Grandma’s Necklace.

If the effect is based on a proprietary effect, then I must think of a story and presentation, but I will of course already know how the effect works. However, I still may have to rework it to fit in with the presentation I come up with.

If it is an object that has given me an idea for a presentation, then I have to work out how to achieve the working of the effect. One of the books that I have regularly used is, believe it or not, Mark Wilson’s Course in Magic! One thing I can always assure you is that the method MUST be simple. I do not do sleight of hand, and I need the working to be simple so that I, and eventually the customer can concentrate on what is really important, the presentation.

The time taken from initial idea can vary from concept to production and on my website in two weeks, to several years before it is ready.

When I am engaged in writing a script and/or story I like to set my mood by playing some Gregorian chant or classical music and perhaps burning some incense. One of my favourite CDs is playing as I write this, The Monstrous Soul by Lustmord.

When I have produced the prototype, I can then keep working through it to make sure that the story fits and also that the physical working of the effect looks natural and logical.

With enough though you can turn almost any ‘normal’ magic effect into a bizarre presentation. For example, the classic children’s effect ‘baking a cake’ with a dove pan. My presentation for this appears in Black Book One as Voodoo Nightmare, a very macabre effect indeed.

To quote from the book:

The occultist tells of the strange power of Voodoo to affect the very thoughts of the victims and to make their worst nightmares come true.

A bowl full of rice is shown and members of the audience are invited to taste it. The lid is put on the bowl and then the occultist talks of the power of Voodoo to turn your worst nightmares into reality.

The lid of the bowl is removed, and the contents shown to have changed into a bowl full of live maggots!

4.     Challenges in Bizarre Magic:  Bizarre magic is often a niche within the larger magic community. What challenges have you faced in promoting and performing this style, and how have you overcome them?

Indeed, Bizarre Magic is a small niche within magic in general, and we (Bizarrists) are often viewed as weird worshipers of Satan! Which we are generally not, well not me anyway! Of course, this also extends to our potential audiences who see the paranormal as something rather scary and slightly dangerous. Great, that is something that we can use to our advantage.

The public image of magic and magicians is often not very positive, they see it as a geeky hobby, and many have been subjected to some pretty dire ‘amateur’ magic tricks, the typical ‘choose a card any card – nothing up my sleeve’ type of presentation. Often the magician is just intent on showing off his or her skill with cards.

The Bizarre Magician on the other hand falls into the ‘paranormal’ or ‘psychic,’ slightly dangerous and mysterious field. This we can take advantage of. Most people would like to believe in such things, and we can give them this opportunity by playing along with their fears. Humankind has an innate fear of the dark and the unknown, so this is the rich vein that we can exploit. Most people ‘sort of believe’ in ghosts.

Most of our Haunted House evenings, apart from the early days were corporate events, and my challenge was to sell our presentations to high-ranking executives. Firstly, Black Hart Productions offered something very different. Secondly, we used high class venues, such as our Haunted House at Berrow Court in Birmingham, or country house hotels around the UK. Thirdly, we weren’t cheap! Fourthly, we had a top-class crew of performers. Also, we had a professional presentation package.

We also put readers out doing, Tarot or Rune readings for corporate events and occasionally we would meet resistance from a CEO who was a church goer who would not countenance Tarot reading. Well, I developed an answer to that – Graphology readings! Available as a course from Black Artefacts, I couldn’t resist the advertisement there.

5.     Audience Reception:  How do audiences typically react to your performances? Have there been any particularly memorable reactions that stand out to you?

The first thing that you, as a bizarre magician, must always remember is that you are to ENTERTAIN your audience. I have seen many magicians who seem keener on entertaining themselves and demonstrating their own skill!

The way we entertain our audiences is by taking them into another world, another reality, where the usual laws of physics do not apply. We reach down into their primal instincts and beliefs and give them a sense of wonder or a frisson of danger. We engage in the oldest entertainment that humankind has ever known (no not that!) storytelling. As long as there has been language there has been storytelling. Just imagine sitting around a fire with darkness and danger lurking in every shadow, bathed in the warmth and safety of the flames in front of you. This is the type of feeling that we can invoke. It is far, far from the ‘pick a card, any card’, then I do this, and this happens, ‘aren’t I clever’ approach to magic.

Now, there must be light and shade in any performance, there must be contrast, so whilst much of your performance may be serious, there is room for humour.

I look for the reaction from my audience where they ask themselves, ‘how did that happen’, ‘was that real’. This is very different from the reaction, ‘how did they do that?’ Sometimes my audience is shocked, sometimes they are a little scared, sometimes they feel a little uneasy.

My aim is to make them forget the reality of everyday life for a while, and to immerse them in a world where the supernatural is their new reality.

6.     The Role of Storytelling:  Storytelling is a crucial element in bizarre magic. How do you craft narratives that resonate with your audience, and what role does research play in your performances?

As I alluded to in my previous answer, the telling of stories is as ancient as language itself. It is how humankind has entertained itself for millennia. It is how information was passed from generation to generation before writing was invented. We all know how a good story by a good narrator can hold our attention and draw us in.

This is what I strive for. Often the effect that I conclude with is almost an adjunct to illustrate the story. An example of this would be Satan’s Mistress, which you can see on my YouTube channel. There is the set up at the beginning where the Tarot card is chosen, followed by the story with the revelation that the card your guest chose is the same one that the victim chose before she was buried alive!

A good story with a great storyteller doesn’t really need an ‘effect’, a good story is an entertainment in its own right. Indeed, my book Short Dark Tales for Long dark Nights (SDTFLDN) does not contain any ‘effects’. The idea of the book is purely for reading to and entertaining your audience with macabre stories.

I read widely and studied old maps to ensure that my presentations have a basis in fact. I have a facsimile copy of William the Conqueror’s Domesday book, so I can check right back on the origins of the villages I use as locations. I also study maps from the 1600s and all the old series of Ordnance Survey maps that date from 1801. But if you are convincing enough your audience will be drawn into your world. For example, one of my favourite effects in my Black Magic Theatre Show is The Soul of Mary Banks, the story of the last person in England to be executed for witchcraft, Mary Banks, who was hung for witchcraft at Worcester Gaol in 1880.

Indeed, I have audience members tell me that they remember reading about this witch trial. The thing is, it didn’t happen, it was made up by me! But the story is so logical and convincing that many in the audience convince themselves that this was a real incident. That is the power of storytelling.

Frank Allen who worked for Black Hart productions as Allain the Teller of Tales, is a master of the storytelling effect. His lyrical poetic stories are illustrated with strange happenings revolving around Tarot cards and other mysterious props. The Black Video, which was resurrected from an old Betacam tape on to DVD and is available from Black Artefacts, but an extract can be seen from the eponymous video on my YouTube channel. This presentation beautifully illustrates the storytelling aspect of Bizarre Magic.

7.     Advice for Aspiring Performers:  What advice would you give to magicians who are interested in exploring bizarre magic? Are there any specific skills or approaches they should focus on?

What a question, there is a whole book’s worth there, but I’ll give it a go and try to be brief and try to distil this into three categories, in an equal order of importance.

a)     You need to know your subject. Read, read, read. Books about the occult, strange mysteries, ghost stories, history, witchcraft, odd happenings and biographies of people like Alistair Crowley. Read history from a period that interests you. Read anything by Eugene Burger, who was my inspiration. I may blushingly suggest that you read my series of Black Books. Read any magic book you can get your hands on and think about how you could make any of them into a bizarre magic presentation. When you develop your act put it together with a theme and make the ‘presentations’ part of a coherent narrative.

b)     Think about the sort of act that you want to pursue and importantly the character that you are going to portray. Your character must be logical to who you actually are and your age. A young person cannot portray themselves as a wise and experienced ‘professor of the arcane’. I think it was Tony Andruzzi who said, ‘be someone that you are, but something that you are not’.

When you are performing you are acting the part, you must become the character. But remember it is an act! The character that I play, The Black Hart, is rather stern and a little frightening, a person not to be crossed. Quite unlike the real me! But, when performing I am that character, and I remain in character from the moment I arrive until I depart and am on my way back home again. The audience think that I am The Black Hart, and for the audience I am The Black Hart.

c)      Learn Tarot reading and go out and do as many Tarot readings in as many different venues as possible. This is a great way to immerse yourself in the genre. You will meet many people who are ‘into’ this sort of thing, and you will learn from them. You can add the occasional ‘effect’ into your readings, such as predicting a chosen Tarot card. Study and practice cold reading, always a useful skill. Whenever you are out in public and waiting, put away your smartphone, just sit there and people watch.

8.     Future of Bizarre Magic:  Where do you see the art of bizarre magic heading in the future? Are there any trends or developments that excite you?

There are some incredible bizarre performers out there now, carrying on the ‘torch’. For example, Lewis Leval’s Witch of the Woods show which you can sample by viewing Lessons in the Presentation of Bizarre Magic – Number 10, on my YouTube channel. Another fantastic example is David Alnwick, and you can see his talk on magic and storytelling as a Ted Talk. I hope to do a video interview with David in the near future.

The strange thing is that as people become more and more attached to their smartphones and technology, the more they also hanker for something more mysterious and ‘spiritual’. As a bizarre magician you can help them fulfil this need.

9.     Upcoming Projects:  Can you share any details about upcoming projects or performances that you’re particularly excited about?

Unfortunately, I can no longer perform in public as my wife has an autoimmune illness, so we must be very careful about being in public places as she is very vulnerable to infection. However, this means that I can now concentrate on developing new effects and working on my YouTube channel. I have a couple of video interviews lined up for the near future, and I’m looking forward very much to that.

10. Final Thoughts:  Is there anything else you would like to share with my readers about the world of bizarre magic, your work, or any personal reflections?

What I think that I have loved most about bizarre magic is the pure theatre of it. I have really enjoyed turning a bland, corporate hotel function room into a mysterious and spooky setting with the use of black tablecloths, candlelight, music and perhaps the addition of a slight mist (from a fog machine). But it doesn’t need to be a large function room. You can turn an ordinary living room into a séance room, even the corner of a pub room into your own personal theatre space.

I think it is fascinating how with some subtle lighting and a few props and appropriate music, you can turn any space into a small theatre.

Of course, when the venue is an old house, like Berrow Court, you don’t have to do much beyond candlelight and music. Check out Lessons in the Presentation of Bizarre Magic, number 12 – Ambience, to see what a difference this can make.

My final thoughts must be, think about how you perform, the methods should be simple so that you can concentrate on what is really important, the presentation, enjoy yourself and remember that bizarre magic should be entertaining!

Keith Hart

The Black Hart

September 2024

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In closing (for the time being), Keith has an extremely insightful YouTube channel that includes a series of interesting programmes entitled ‘Lessons in the Presentation of Bizarre Magic’, a unique series, where he explains exactly how to present your performance pieces, as well as further insight into Black Hart’s mysterious, bizarre, but absolutely brilliant world.  It can be found here

Lessons in Bizarre Magic Number 7 With The Black Hart (youtube.com)

Lastly, I would like to thank Keith for taking the time to be involved in this interview, it is a real privilege.

The below video is the first in a series of wonderful video interviews with The Black Hart. Enjoy!