We've all been there. Watching something that's so important to us fall apart, and feeling helpless because there's nothing we can do to fix it. And in the end, being left with nothing but a broken heart and items that only remind you of this heartbreak. We often associate broken hearts with romantic relationships but it's just as easy to feel heartbreak with the end of a friendship.
Whether it was a friendship or a relationship, it still hurts. We often hold on to those items that remind us of what was, and stuff them away in hopes of not seeing them will help with moving on. At some point though the best thing you can do is to get rid of these things. Maybe you want to throw them away or burn them if you're trying to be dramatic. But instead of throwing them away along with the story that goes with them, two artist from Croatia have thought of a better idea of what to do with the items of past relationships.
In 2006, two artists from Croatia created a traveling museum that displays items of people's past heartbreaks. In 2010, 'The Museum Of Broken Relationships' became a permanent museum in Zagreb, Croatia. This May, Americans will have their own museum right in the heart of Hollywood.
As weird as it sounds to have a museum full of personal objects from broken relationships, in a way it's unique atmosphere could be pretty cool. The L.A. exhibit's website says, "The museum offers a chance to overcome an emotional collapse through creation: by contributing to the permanent collection." Getting rid of those things that remind you of that person and the failed relationship can be very powerful. With this new museum, people will have the option to donate these items rather than throwing them away. What's cool about each item is that they ask you to give it a title, the duration/dates of the relationship, city/county of origin and the story behind it all, and only those items are shared with the viewers. It allows you to be anonymous to everyone who will visit. You do have to provide your name, surname, email address, and telephone number, but that information can only be accessed by the museum staff. By doing this and signing the donation form, you are giving consent to unlimited display and potential reproduction and publication of your donation on all museum material. All that stuff aside, you are given complete creative control and they have no restrictions on what you can donate. They take the exact story you have written for your item without intervention or censorship on their part. What a way to move on.
Some interesting items the original museum in Croatia have had donated are things such as a wedding dress, a winter coat, a wig, a shaving kit and even a lock of hair( yeah that ones a little bit creepy). For more information on how you can donate or just more information on what these museums are all about you can find all that here.
So if you've experienced or are currently dealing with a broken heart from a broken relationship or friendship, think about donating those items you just shoved in the back of your closet instead of throwing them away or dramatically burning it all. We never know, this could be the new way of moving on.
