Magic
The exhibition route
Western magic, between belief and knowledge
Magic emerged at the same time as human societies. It has evolved over thousands of years and plays a part in existential questions. In the West, magic is steeped in a turbulent history. Disparaged and admired, discredited and celebrated anew, magic has become an ambivalent notion, one that is always multifaceted and never neutral.
Read moreMagical practices
Although Western magic has an altogether unique history, it is nevertheless part of a universal context. What all magical practices around the world try to do is influence our reality. A different ritual repertoire underpins them depending on the social group and culture, and yet they share common principles. These include the attribution of a “symbolic effectiveness” to certain acts or the handling of objects invested with special powers.
Read moreEmbodying magic
The gift of magic tends to be reserved for specialists who go by different names depending on the community they live in. Soothsayer-healer, shaman, witch doctor, magician… it is difficult to categorise the many players operating in this field. Each has their own style and attributes, breaking new ground or borrowing certain elements from a fellow practitioner, developing their knowledge and harnessing new resources from their environment.
Read moreContemporary magic
Magic is constantly being reinvented, including in Western societies. Amidst globalisation, magical practices are being co-opted and re-embraced. But behind the popularity of different forms of magic, the desire to decipher the world and change the course of events endures, alongside the joy of keeping the mystery alive.
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