Running the risk of falling off a cliff. Becoming a mermaid. Being on the red carpet of Hollywood stars. Suffering a shark bite. Having Barcelona at your feet. Walking on birds in the sky. These and other situations can be experienced, without running any risk, in the new Magic World museum, which opened its doors this December in Barcelona.
The 300-square-meter space, located in the city center, contains 40 murals with large 2D images ---some are emblematic locations in Barcelona---, where visitors can take photos and make various situations a reality, to then share them on social media.
The realistic and three-dimensional effect is captured in the new image thanks to a specific perspective and the light and shadow play of each space, configuring what is called the Trick Art technique. It is the visitor himself who brings the murals to life when he incorporates himself into them and takes a photograph edited with Photoshop.
The initiative corresponds to the Austrians Frederik Lehner and Alexander Laber who have invested 400,000 euros in the installation, in a premises on Calle Caspe in Barcelona. The promoters of the project assure that "it is a more perfect world than the real one" and that "it can boost self-esteem". Due to the fact that it can be shared on social media, they believe it is very much aimed at instagramers, although they want to attract the general public, because they also consider it a fun space for families, as Irene Roura, the museum's manager, highlights.
The reason they chose Barcelona is because they wanted to contribute to an artistic and modern metropolitan area and because it was an ideal option to attract tourists. "What makes Barcelona special is the number of tourists it receives. And this is what interests us in the long term, the local people of Barcelona will come 2 or 3 times, but no more," highlights Frederik Lehner, founding partner of the museum. In fact, they expect the museum to receive about 100,000 visits in its first year of operation.
Similar to Trick Art museums in California, Vegas, Tokyo or Singapore, Barcelona's Magic World is "a different museum, made with photographs, not paintings" that provides surprising images, with unique ideas and diverse locations of the city. The space will open every day of the week, with prices ranging from 8 to 12 euros for individual tickets, but there are also ticket packages for families.