Manchester Museum, part of the University of Manchester, is inviting visitors to enter a digital funhouse where they become the stars of the show.
Magic Place is an interactive experience for all ages, dreamed up by acclaimed digital artists Genetic Moo and featuring a series of artworks that respond to your every move. It is the first time this work has been shown in Manchester and it will include a number of characters visitors may recognise from previous trips to the Museum, including the infamous Japanese giant spider crab that keeps a watchful eye over Oxford Road.
Running from Saturday 28 November to Sunday 17 January, Magic Place gives visitors a chance to shape their own experience, meaning every visit is unique.
Each artwork bursts with animation. Visitors can use their silhouette to ‘touch’ floating emojis and watch characters, patterns, and shapes come to life around them. Everything responds, bouncing, jumping, shrinking or growing as you explore.
Interactions also trigger a rich soundscape of beats, beeps, sound effects and musical snippets. Every touch contributes to a layered, evolving audio experience, allowing people to build complex grooves and rhythms as they play.
Ciaron Wilkinson, Head of Partnerships and Engagement at Manchester Museum, said: "Magic Place will create a world of fun throughout the festive season, supporting our commitment to develop imaginative new experiences for visitors. We can't wait to watch people of all ages explore the space, as they shape their own adventures with endless possibilities."
Rendered in a cheerful, abstract style using a nostalgic 8-bit colour palette, Magic Place draws on the artists’ own childhood experiences with 1980s technology—from BBC Micro computers and BASIC programming to video games, electronic music, and early internet culture. It’s a celebration of the digital magic that shaped a generation—and continues to inspire new ones.
“We wanted to recreate that feeling of wonder we had growing up in the 80s, when technology felt limitless and full of possibility,” said artists Nicola Schauerman and Tim Pickup of Genetic Moo. “Magic Place is about giving that sense of creative freedom back to today’s kids—and the grown-ups too.”
Tickets for Magic Place will cost £5, with an affordable option also available at £3 from museum.manchester.ac.uk/magic-place