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Demian Aditya: Cementing his position
(JP/Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak)He is an illusionist who got his nickname âThe Icemanâ after escaping from being imprisoned in ice
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(JP/Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak) (JP/Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak)
(JP/Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak)
He is an illusionist who got his nickname 'The Iceman' after escaping from being imprisoned in ice.
He showed off his solid-through-solid magic skills by pushing his hand through a brick wall and a glass sheet on TV. He has caught with his bare hands nails shot from a nail gun.
But having his torso buried in cement was a bridge too far, even for Demian Aditya, 35.
'I'm scared, I really am. Maybe I underestimated the challenge a bit. I've just heard that it can cause heat stroke too,' he said after a press conference on The Perfect Escape, in which he had to survive the crushing weight of five tons of cement for 50 hours.
The stunt took place from May 22 in the parking lot of FX mall on Jl. Sudirman in Central Jakarta. Demian sat on a chair inside a transparent mica box before wet cement was poured over him, burying the illusionist up to his chest.
Fifty hours had passed and the deputy director of the Indonesian Museum of Records (MURI), Osman Semesta Susilo, had awarded him a world record certificate, but Demian remained in the box, as he barely had the strength to step out.
Slowly he moved his arms and pushed himself out to cheers from the crowd. He later collapsed on stage and was rushed to hospital with disrupted oxygen circulation and muscle strains along his arms and legs. Now up and running, Demian has started the preparation for his next stunt: teleporting a car carrying him and some companions.
Said by Guinness World Records to be a world first, many magicians had tried escaping from cement graves before.
A few days before the stunt, Demian was given a stern warning from a team of doctors from Royal Progress Hospital about potential bone fractures and muscle strains, skin burns caused by the heat from the drying cement, vital organ damage and even heart failure.
What he feared the most, however, was the threat of having a catheter placed on him.
'My mother has got used to the stunts I planned before. She always said I had a penchant for 'looking for trouble'. This time, however, she refused to come to the event. That's how strong her rejection of this stunt is,' he said.
The daredevil, then, was not without fear. But stronger was his determination to achieve the impossible through thorough research and intensive practice.
'Nothing is impossible. For me, every problem has a solution. Even if you haven't found the answer yet, you will.'
Born as Aditya Prambudhi in Tegal, Central Java, on June 19, 1980, Demian achieved popularity through his TV program Demian Sang Illusionist in 2007, where he combined entertainment with magic tricks.
His good looks and stature ' 183 centimeters in height, far taller than the average Indonesian ' complement his performances, which, he said, relied mainly on his communication and people skills.
He won the Favorite category in the Abang None Jakarta pageant in 2002 and the Friendship category in 2000.
'I began learning magic tricks in sixth grade of elementary school. I was always an ambitious kid. I wanted to stand out above others, to be different ' a trait that makes me what I am today,' he said.
The graduate of Jakarta's Trisakti University majored in marketing; he then learned psychology so that he could read people and make predictions of their next word or move.
'I use the skill to randomly pick one or two in the audience to assist me on the stage. Whether my performance is a success or turns out ugly is highly dependent on the person I choose.'
For the latest stunt, however, Demian could rely only on his mental strength, challenging skeptics to take selfies with him to prove there was no trickery.
The escape stunt had been in his mind's pipeline for four years, but only recently received the green light from his wife ' actress and singer Sara Wijayanto.
Demian already has many cards up his sleeves: A school for magicians and a production house, an upcoming food and beverage business and more stunts, besides a large-scale solo show in November.
The planned car teleportation, slated for early August, is thought to be riskier than the cement stunt. He is supposed to move a car from a bridge in the Pantai Indah Kapuk coastal area of North Jakarta to another bridge 100 meters away.
Idolizing David Copperfield over Harry Houdini, Demian said he wanted his show to be entertaining.
'The theatrical show will come with a story about my journey as an illusionist.'
