As an unashamed lover of the Harry Potter books (and movies to a lesser extent), I was one of millions of fans who were largely unwilling to let the franchise go when it climaxed rather spectacularly at in 2011. So whilst J.K Rowling and Warner Brothers look to milk the franchise within an inch of its life with the upcoming spin-off films, I'd prefer to look back fondly on what has already been, and what can never truly be sullied. For fans such as myself, the prospect of another Potter-based exhibition always sends our muggle hearts fluttering, and as an admirer of graphic design, this latest show has particularly piqued my fancy.
MinaLima, the consultancy which created graphic props for the Harry Potter films, has launched a new exhibition showcasing its excellent work from the film series. The Graphic Art of the Harry Potter Films includes 85 reproduced prints of MinaLima’s work, as well as 25 original props on loan from the Warner Brothers Studio, which I have visited (twice) and can confirm is about as decent a family day-out as you can wish for. Original pieces include books, letters, newspapers, the actual Marauder’s Map, and packaging from the Weasley family’s shop. The work is to be displayed chronologically across eight walls in two rooms at the Coningsby Gallery in London, starting with the first Harry Potter film and going through to the eighth, showing the evolution of the design work throughout the series.
MinaLima, the consultancy which created graphic props for the Harry Potter films, has launched a new exhibition showcasing its excellent work from the films
Alongside print reproduction and curation, the consultancy has also designed the exhibition space, as they wanted to make sure that the space design included aspects that were true to the films. The space includes fake floating candles and postal letters that fly in through the windows, which were inspired by the Great Hall scenes in Harry Potter. It looks mighty impressive, but it's not magic, they're rigged up with fishing lines to make them look like they’re suspended. Cabinets showcasing original props also include little bits and bobs from the studio such as pens, rubber stamps, inks, books and typefaces, to give people a sense of the accruements that surrounded the designers as they worked. The major selling point, however, are the reproduced prints that are on sale at the exhibition, and range in price from £39 to £900 depending on the detail of the work and the frame. There will be 1000 copies of most of the prints, and 250 copies of the more limited edition prints. MinaLima will be present at the exhibition at weekends to speak with fans and those who are interested in learning about graphic design.
Miraphora Mina, co-founder at MinaLima, says the consultancy wanted to reproduce the graphic work as limited edition art prints in to make a business out of something they love. She said: “Since finishing the films, we had hard drives full of design which hadn’t been seen or had just got into the corner of a frame. We thought it would be nice to give these another life. When I started out in 2000, I only had a very basic computer, and was photocopying, cutting, pasting and drawing a lot. I feel like I’ve mastered some software on the job – but we don’t use it exclusively. We’re always using hand-drawn pieces, old typefaces from packaging, and things we’ve scanned in. We’re still very analogue in our approach and aesthetic.”
The work is to be displayed chronologically across eight walls in two rooms at the Coningsby Gallery in London until December 19
The Graphic Art of the Harry Potter Films runs until December 19 at the Coningsby Gallery. Entry is free, so if you're in the market for a decent Christmas treat for your Potter-loving loved ones (especially those who are in any way artistically inclined) you could do a lot worse.
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and struggling musician from Kidderminster in the UK. His favourite Potter book is “The Half Blood Prince,” but his favourite film is “The Prisoner of Azkaban.”
