Magic and Design

06.11.2026 → 11.04.2027

Dunne & Raby, After the Festival: Design for a World of Many Worlds, 2023 mudac collection

© NGV Triennial Kate Shanasy

Hocus Pocus and Encounterology

With Hocus Pocus and Encounterology, mudac presents a season exploring the relationship between magic and design. Together, the exhibitions examine the connections between contemporary creation and magic, and how they invite us to experience the world—or worlds—differently.

Hocus Pocus. Design of the Invis­ible

From the late nine­teenth century to the present day, Hocus Pocus explores the surpris­ing links between magic and design. Through the worlds of legendary illu­sion­ists, tech­nical inven­tions, popu­lar enter­tain­ment and spir­itu­al­ism, the exhib­i­tion reveals how design­ers, like magi­cians, use innov­a­tion, staging and illu­sion to inspire wonder and captiv­ate audi­ences.

Encoun­ter­o­logy. Design for Magical Worlds

Running along­side Hocus Pocus, Encoun­ter­o­logy turns to contem­por­ary magical prac­tices as forms of rela­tional tech­no­logy. Bring­ing together immers­ive install­a­tions, ritual objects, spec­u­lat­ive works and a selec­tion of pieces from the mudac collec­tion, the exhib­i­tion explores new ways of connect­ing with living beings, non-human entit­ies and unseen worlds.

© Senate House Library, University of London

© Khoren Matevosyan

© Emile Demerliac

© Felipe Ribon

© Françoise Ninghetto, Collection Jungo

Works and docu­ments

Hocus Pocus:
Abyme LTD., Atelier Baqué Moli­nié, Yto Barrada, Sophie Becker, Zoe Beloff, Jörg Boner, Camille Brée, Paul Cock­­sedge Studio, Laura Couto Rosado, Thomas Fontaine, Antoine Foegle, Henry Gunder­­son, Audrey Julien, Jenna Kaës, Arno Math­ies, Réjean Peyta­vin, Emma Pflie­ger, Marc-Arthur Sohna, Math­ias Zieba.

Encoun­ter­o­logy:
Magda­lena Abaka­no­wicz, Allora & Calza­­­dilla, Charles Bonnet, Isabell Buller­­schen, Fanny Char­rasse, Ted Chiang, Jessica Collet, Charles Darwin, Dunne & Raby, Teresa Fernán­dez-Pello, R. Buck­­min­s­ter Fuller, Kiko Gianocca, Pier­­rette Gonseth-Favre, Domi­­nique Gonza­­lez-Foer­s­ter, Simon Gret­ton, William Griggs, Anna Zoe Hamm, Sophie Hana­garth, Domi­­niq Jenvrey, Alek­san­dra Kędzio­rek, Keight, A. Konby, Maria Łasz­kie­wicz, Le Corbu­sier, Math­ieu Lehan­neur, Krzysz­tof Maniak, Khoren Mate­­vo­syan, Richard Craig Meit­ner, Moun­­­tain­cut­ters, Amor Muñoz, Katar­zyna Przez­wańska, Felipe Ribon, Chris­to­pher Santerre, Semi­­con­­­duc­tor, Bryn­jar Sigurðar­son, Pamela Singh, Maciej Siuda, Ettore Sott­sass, Rudolf Stei­ner, Thomas Thwaites, Diego Vala­dés.

Lenders

Hocus Pocus:
Archives Gaumont, Yves Bosson / Agence Martienne, Espace Horlo­ger, Fonda­­tion Guex-Joris, Frac Île-de-France, Insti­­tut Méta­psy­chique (Paris), Françoise Ninghetto – Collec­­tion Jungo, Musée d’Art et d’His­toire (Genève), Musée des Arts Déco­ra­­tifs (Paris), Nouveau Musée Natio­nal de Monaco, Tony Ours­ler, Surna­téum (Belgique), The Alessi Museum, The Museum of Modern Art (New York City), Vitra Design Museum.

Encoun­ter­o­logy:
Swiss Confed­er­a­tion, Federal Office of Culture (Bern), Fonda­­tion Le Corbu­sier (Paris), Fonda­­tion Toms Pauli (Lausanne), Gale­rie Chan­tal Crou­sel (Paris), Lucid Reali­ties (Paris), Museum Boij­­mans Van Beun­in­­gen (Rotter­­dam), Rudolf Stei­ner Archiv (Dornach), Sèvres and Mobi­lier natio­nal, Van Abbe­mu­­seum (Eind­ho­ven), Zachęta (Warsaw).

Curation - Hocus Pocus Alexandra Midal - Double A
Scientific collaboration - Hocus Pocus Luisa Ferreira - mudac
Curation - Encounterology Scott Longefellow - mudac
Exhibition design Adrien Rovero Studio - Double A
Graphic design Marietta Eugster

Partner of the exhibitions