Marco Tempest

Marco Tempest is a cyber-illusionist, combining magic and technology to produce astonishing multi-dimensional planes of magic and thought. Known as the world's first and only "cyber illusionist," he began his performing career as a stage magician, winning awards and garnering recognition as one of the world’s most creative performers. His early success was marked by winning the prestigious New York World Cup of Magic at age 22, which launched him into international prominence.

A deep interest in technology steered him in a new direction where the ingenious thinking of the magician was combined with digital media to produce a unique and original form of magic and illusion. Tempest uses illusion as a creative tool to imagine future technologies and create interactive presentations, often collaborating with engineers, animators, and programmers. This brand of illusion, which integrates computer-generated imagery, video, music, and stagecraft, was ideal for the emerging digital world and became popular in internet and social media circles.

Tempest is a frequent keynote speaker at technology conferences worldwide, including TED events where he has presented talks such as "A cyber-magic card trick like no other" and "The magic of truth and lies (and iPods)." As a Director's Fellow at the prestigious MIT Media Lab, he collaborates with researchers on the role of illusion in everyday life. His work also includes serving as a creative consultant at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and he is an Accenture Luminary and the Accenture Lead Consultant for Extended Reality. In these roles, he explores the intersection of illusion and digital technology, focusing on applications in media, marketing, entertainment, and prototyping future technologies through immersive experiences.

Tempest’s commitment to the open source community remains a significant part of his work, pushing artists, writers, and technologists to explore and test the boundaries of the digital world. His innovative approach to storytelling and technology has made him one of the most popular speakers at technology conferences across the globe.