The creative team behind the Harry Potter film universe has developed a new exhibition which is set to transform Dumfries’ Moat Brae into a world class visitor attraction this summer.
Some of the best-loved classic children’s literature tales will be brought uniquely to life in the cutting-edge interactive “Enchanted Journeys: Adventures in Storytelling” which will open in July.
Funded through a £280,000 award from the UK Government’s Community Renewal Fund, the immersive exhibition has been created by design company MinaLima, which is renowned for creating world class exhibitions such as the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and the Game of Thrones studio tour in Belfast.
It will firmly put Scotland’s National Centre for Children’s Literature and Storytelling on the map.
Opening during VistScotland’s Year of Stories, the exhibition will be based on the award-winning art from MinaLima’s Classics series of children’s books for Harper Collins and is expected to attract visitors from all over the globe – which will, in turn, boost the region’s economy.
Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima exclusively told the Standard yesterday: “Our first foray into illustrating children’s classic tales was the enchanted world of Peter Pan – we have since re-imagined eight further fairytales – so it is fitting that we should create our first interactive exhibition at Moat Brae, the home of children’s storytelling.”
They said that through an “immense sensory exploration of the journey of each timeless story and its characters – including Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll; The Little Mermaid by Hans Christina Andersen; The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum; Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi and Peter Pan by JM Barrie – these classic tales of literature will continue to beguile children and adults alike.”
Moat Brae’s centre director, Dr Simon Davidson, said: “MinaLima’s style is stunningly imaginative and utterly unique and their books are not only filled with beautiful illustrations but are wonderfully immersive.
“The exhibition itself will transform large areas of the house into a netherworld of ever changing, well-loved literary landscapes using MinaLima’s own distinctive style. They are a world-renowned brand and we anticipate the exhibition will attract visitors to Dumfries from all over the world meaning the boost to the regional economy will be substantial. I also hope it will give the people of Dumfries and Galloway a new cultural asset they can be proud of.”
Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima started working together in 2001 to imagine and create the entire graphic universe of all the Harry Potter movies.
In 2009 they founded their graphic design studio, MinaLima, which has resulted in “distinctive and unconventional design and illustration for the entertainment and publishing industries.”
As Studio MinaLima, they designed graphic props for films such as Sweeney Todd, The Golden Compass and The Imitation Game; created their Collective Nouns art print collection and crafted MinaLima Classics, the bestselling series of illustrated books.
