Magic Wall Exhibition - Step Into Stories

For seven months from 30 October 2025, visitors stepping into the Méta Space of the Museum of Ethnography in Budapest were greeted by a striking five-meter-wide Magic Wall—an interactive installation that transformed the world of footwear into a vivid journey of color, movement, and discovery.

With a simple touch, audiences could explore Shoes, Boots, Padukas – Adventures Around Footwear, the museum’s acclaimed 2017 exhibition, which spanned nearly two centuries and four continents—from Greenland to Africa, North America to Japan. The experience revealed how shoes were far more than functional objects: they carried stories of culture, identity, and memory across time and place.

The Magic Wall reimagined these narratives through digital interaction. Each object became an entry point into a layered story, inviting visitors to zoom in, explore details, and uncover connections in a dynamic, non-linear way.

A contemporary dimension enriched the experience: students from the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design presented their own shoe designs inspired by the museum’s collection. Displayed alongside historical artefacts, these works created a dialogue between tradition and innovation.

Blending design, technology, and storytelling, the installation offered an engaging and accessible way to experience cultural heritage—where every interaction revealed a new perspective, and history became vivid, personal, and alive.

Design Challenges

The key challenge of this project was to translate a rich, object-based ethnographic exhibition into an engaging digital experience without losing its cultural depth. The original Shoes, Boots, Padukas – Adventures Around Footwear exhibition spans nearly two centuries and four continents—from Greenland to Africa, North America to Japan—presenting footwear not merely as functional objects, but as carriers of identity, tradition, and memory.

The task was to make this complexity accessible and intuitive within a large-scale interactive interface, while appealing to a broad audience with varying levels of prior knowledge. At the same time, the installation needed to create a strong visual presence within the open environment of the Méta Space and encourage active exploration rather than passive viewing.

Design Strategy

At the heart of the concept is the five-meter-wide Magic Wall, transforming the exhibition into an interactive, exploratory journey. Instead of a linear narrative, the content is structured as a dynamic, touch-based experience where each object becomes an entry point into a wider cultural story.

Visitors can zoom in on individual shoes, access layered content, and navigate across geographies and time periods at their own pace. This non-linear approach supports curiosity-driven discovery while maintaining coherence through carefully designed visual and informational hierarchies.

A key addition is the integration of contemporary interpretations: students from the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design contribute modern shoe designs inspired by the museum’s collection. These are presented alongside historical artefacts, creating a dialogue between past and present.

Visually, the interface combines vibrant graphics, motion, and multimedia content to create an immersive yet accessible experience, where digital storytelling enhances rather than replaces the authenticity of the objects.

Project Value

The Magic Wall establishes a new way of engaging with ethnographic content by merging digital interaction with cultural storytelling. It transforms the collections of the Museum of Ethnography into a living, participatory experience that invites exploration, play, and personal connection.

By linking historical artefacts with contemporary design, the project highlights the continuity of cultural expression and the ongoing relevance of traditional craftsmanship.

More broadly, the installation demonstrates how interactive technology can expand the interpretive potential of museum exhibitions—making complex cultural narratives more accessible, engaging, and memorable for diverse audiences.