The Magic Factory closed on 7 August 2017. For details of our current galleries and exhibitions, take a look at our what’s on page.
Flash-bang fun for the whole family! The Magic Factory let you get hands-on with light, lenses and mirror trickery to discover the science behind how we see the world around us.
Closure of the Magic Factory
The Magic Factory closed on Monday 7 August 2017. The space on Level 4 has been refurbished as our new activity and picnic area, Makespace.
This is part of our ongoing redevelopment plans, which included the opening of our new permanent interactive gallery, Wonderlab.
Overview
Colour and reflection
Find the cackling witch as you enter the Magic Factory, and you’ll soon be exploring how light behaves. Laugh at your family and friends in our magic mirrors, learn about the different ways colours and images are presented, and discover what you really look like to other people.
Cameras and lenses
Take a look across the cityscape of Bradford through a variety of lenses, including a pinhole camera, binoculars and a TV camera. Send Morse code into space with light that’s powerful enough to pass through the Earth’s atmosphere, and find out what kind of periscope gives you the best view.
Light and prisms
Step into the darkened booth to see the results of our very own camera obscura. Experiment with light, mirrors and prisms, and learn what happens to light when it passes through an object.
Heat, speed and shadows
Test your reflexes against the speed of light, or use our thermal camera to see how hot you are! We’ll help you trap your shadow, show you the effects of different coloured lights on an image, and demonstrate what happens when you place objects under UV light.