Museums can seem dreadfully old-fashioned in the era of the internet, that infinite archive. But last week in Zagreb I discovered two perfectly modern versions of the concept. I was in this hilly, romantic town for the Epica Awards ceremony. More about that in a moment.
Emerging from the quant funicular to the cobblestoned upper town, I saw a sign pointing to The Museum of Broken Relationships. How could I resist? This tiny treasure trove turned out to be exactly what it's name suggests. Members of the public donate an object that reminds them of a failed love affair. A watch that a woman deliberately stopped when her boyfriend told her he loved her. A map of Venice scrawled on the torn-out page of a book. Some olive pips. An axe that a jealous lover used to shatter his cheating partner's furniture. Like all the best museums, it is a storehouse of stories. They are melancholy yet haunting.
The winner of the interactive category at Epica was the Museum of London, with an Iphone app created by the agency Brothers and Sisters. But not just any app: using augmented reality, it overlays modern streets with images or films from the past, giving viewers the impression that they are seeing back in time. Magical, no doubt. But not as amusing as the terse note beside a voodoo love potion at the Museum of Broken Relationships: «Doesn't work.»
