YORK.- Just as Britain is set to break up with the European Union,
York Castle Museum brings a collection of stories and symbolic possessions to the city which relate to the ways we fall out of love.
Always heartfelt, sometimes humorous and often deeply moving, the collections from the Museum of Broken Relationships in Zagreb, Croatia, will be enriched with objects from York’s collections which illustrate a key moment in a relationship breaking down.
It will consider this from a national level, such as the divisions caused by war, religion and politics, but also include those individual stories which say something much more personal about how we all cope when love falls apart.
The exhibition will also feature new stories brought together especially for the exhibition through an appeal to local communities.
Museum of Broken Relationships is an original creative art project conceived by Olinka Vištica and Dražen Grubišić in 2006. It has since taken thousands of people on an empathetic journey around the world, challenging our ideas about heritage. Its original permanent location was founded in Zagreb. In 2010 it won the EMYA Kenneth Hudson Award as the most innovative and daring museum project in Europe.
Stories behind the three illustrated objects:
Handcuffs, 2005, Zagreb, Croatia
Ata me (Spanish for “tie me up”)
A can of love incense, 1994, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
Doesn’t work.
Toy motorcycle made of wood, September 2013 – December 2013, Mexico City, Mexico
My ex-girlfriend gave me this motorcycle. She hated that I rode motorcycles and even vowed that she would never ride mine. Soon after we began dating, I had an accident. I broke my leg and had to wear a cast, stay in bed, etc. One day she brought me this toy motorcycle. At first I thought it was a nice gift, but then she said: “Bringing you this seems fitting seeing as how you are only capable of taking care of something of this size. You’ll have to get yourself a toy woman too because I seriously doubt you can handle a woman like me.” I decided I never wanted to see or hear from her again. We haven’t spoken since.
