It's a Harry Potter exhibition celebrating the work of Mina & Lima, they're dreamers and doers who have made it, and made it so well they thrilled JK Rowling. You could do worse.
And it's not just prints it's everything, any prop which needed some flair. Remember 'Muggle worthy' dial on Newt Scamander's case? You know what I thought?
We're back.
That's the MinaLima love.
In 2001 Miraphora Mina was working on some weird wizard movie when Eduardo Lima stepped of the boat from Brazil. Ach, I'll let them tell the story...
MinaLima has moved from being around the corner from the Palace Theatre's Cursed Child to being a 7 minute Odyssey.
Why?
Well with a recession looming luxury design goods aren't the worlds' no. 1 priority, add to that JK Rowling, the brilliant creator of it all, is no longer a Liberals' wet dream, she's burst out of her pigeon hole & become 3 dimensional with the trans controversy.
Perhaps with instincts worthy of the Weasleys MinaLima have downsized, but also brought the exhibition home.
The exhibition & design shop has been transplanted to 3 packed floors inside a flaming flamingo pink building with their design studio on the floor above, allowing Mina & Lima to more easily take a personal hand in developments.
This is a thorough guide to what was, which hopefully leaves some surprises for what the exhibition now is.
The shop is a treasure of Potter design. It might appear expensive, but it’s limited edition prints, aimed at people who’ve perhaps stepped onto the property ladder and want a talking point, or just something they cherish on their walls.
It’s a Quidditch mile more adult than papering the walls with chocolate frog cards, and the other merch that enchanted all well-spent youths. And there's still something charming for every pocket.
You can see many creative Daily Prophet headlines but for the news articles body text the font Orma Ipson is used, they’re passages of fake Latin, playing on the fact Muggles can’t read it.
Mina & Lima tried writing articles with random words but they ended up looking fake so they thought 'may as well create suitable headlines'.
They really thought through what the repercussions in the world would be...
Very little can be taken in with kinetic camera movements but what you catch richens the world, and broadens the reality.
When JK Rowling visited, she asked who had devised the headlines. Mina said, "Oh sorry, us". She needn't have worried, Rowling loved it.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good" was on each step as we climbed to the the second floor.
Beware the floors are uneven and as you wind your way up a rickety staircase which squeezes narrower as you climb, the rooms also seeming to shrink. It brings to mind the burrow, or the Leaky Cauldron, or most likely any shop along heaving Diagon Alley.
MinaLima told Pottermore the building immediately reminded them of Sirrus Black's Grimmauld Place, and they asked for the lease on the spot. Now it's painted eye popping pink. Can't imagine what Sirrus's mother Walburga would make of that. Probably need counselling.
The iconic rug-sized map is what makes Potter fans drool with envy. Mina says she this is what she's most proud off. It uses lines of handwritten text that include names and hidden messages. It first appeared in Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban, but was resdeigned for each subsequent film with new hallways, layers and calligraphy.
For most of the time Mina & Lima had free reign, just checking in with the producers. However for the Black Tapestry and Weasley twins’ joke shop products they communicated directly with JK Rowling.
Their design was particularly precious to her and she described MinaLima's workshop at Leavesden Studios as "my favourite room on Earth."
Mina and Lima love their lavish gold and silver foil effects, the big P of Daily Prophet, or the gorgeous cover of Newt’s textbook Fantastic Beasts above the Fireplace.
But for the Hogwarts acceptance letter, one of many hundreds each year, it required something plainer. So you get the stamp crest of Hogwarts, and the red wax seal, and the luxurious italic handwriting by Dumbledore*, all reaching into earlier times.
*Well probably more often by a self-writing quill he imported from ‘Voges Quills of Distinction’. You really think Albus wrote every letter in the Dursley’s letter bomb?
I love the Mudblood book, it's just so creepy, everybody reaching out to get you.
I also love the Ministry of Magic’s fascist propaganda posters design and colours, echo fascist and soviet designs. They build on our reality helping them resonate.
The assistants are wonderfully helpful, some are passionate Harry Potter fans. Hannah Oakley is a design graduate, she explained the philosophy is "ground everything in a familiar reality, then take it 2 degrees off".
The Paris setting of Fantastic Beasts 2, is their favourite so far.
This is the poster enchanted to conceal the entrance to the jazz club speakeasy Newt Scamander visits in New York.
MinaLima just loved working on the art deco twenties new York stuff, but, design-wise going to Paris is like upgrading from a nimbus to a Firebolt. Eduardo’s obviously having a slightly better time because he doesn’t have hair whipping his face.
They’ve kept the Daily Prophet’s pointy finger in the new era, using it in the New York Ghost and elsewhere to knit the wizarding world together, showing they share DNA.
The new world's wizarding society is turbo bigoted regarding magic-muggle coupling. Yet fascinated by Muggle, or No-Maj ways. It's like the bible bashing politican, drawn to kinky sex acts. MinaLima continue to gift Rowling's worlds a texture of reality.
Want it all? Guess you're just gonna have to visit.
Well this is a water-cooler story for any design loving Potter head. At the time of writing they run Thursdays and Fridays. Check out MinaLima's workshops.
Just interdepartmental memos. We used to use owls, but the mess was unbelievable... droppings all over the desks...It's extremely busy on weekends, so a weekday is best, ideally a tour day, when the wonderful expert guides can lavish you with personal attention bringing the exhibition to life.
In the past MinaLima have recommended visiting on Thursdays to have the best experience.
From the uneven, twisting stairs to the Dursley letter bomb, the exhibition brought a smile at every turn. "Bewitch, Beguile", it says above the daily prophet shield and MinaLima's Harry Potter museum did just that. Thankyou world.
This Harry Potter tour for Muggles doesn't start nearby, but ends 11 minutes walk away.
7 minutes walk from MinaLima is the Palace theatre, home of JK Rowling's The Cursed Child, have a ball at the continuation of Harry's saga.
How to get the most out of the fabulous Warner Brothers Harry Potter studio tour.
A Complete guide to Kings Cross platform 9¾ & its Harry Potter shop.
Or 400 miles away trace the inspirations for the stories on my
Potter tours of EdinburghOnly 4½ hours on the train!
Credits
Warner Brothers loaned props.
The guides were excellent, sadly I didn't take all their names, but the design reflections are theirs, the prattle mine.
Pottermore's article on MinaLima's Harry Potter exhibition.
Discover MinaLima's graphic magic in clips from the Harry Potter films.
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