WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: What Is the Museum of Broken Relationships?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hi

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<v Speaker 1>Brainstuff Lauren Vogelbaum here with a classic brain Stuff episode

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<v Speaker 1>with shutdowns to help protect against the spread of COVID nineteen.

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<v Speaker 1>Lots of museums have gone online only, and that includes

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<v Speaker 1>one outpost of the subject of today's episode, The Museum

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<v Speaker 1>of Broken Relationships. Hey, brain Stuff Lauren Vogelbaum Here. If

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<v Speaker 1>a relationship is like a shark that must constantly move

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<v Speaker 1>forward or die, then what the Museum of Broken Relationships

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<v Speaker 1>has on its hands is a lot of dead sharks

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<v Speaker 1>and are shards because romantic or not, when any cherished

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<v Speaker 1>relationship hits the skids, it can blow your heart to

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<v Speaker 1>Smithereens with heart shards in mind and an eye toward

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<v Speaker 1>healing and purposeful change, the Museum of Broken Relationships is

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<v Speaker 1>an innovative resource for helping people seek solace, let go,

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<v Speaker 1>and move on. Curated from once valued possessions that xs

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<v Speaker 1>of every ilk can't stand to keep around anymore, yet

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<v Speaker 1>can't bear to throw away, the museum provides a space

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<v Speaker 1>to showcase the flotsam of flouted vows and forsaken promises

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<v Speaker 1>and the sad souvenirs of subterfuge. Anonymous and sometimes gut

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<v Speaker 1>wrenching personal stories presented alongside their related objects provide context

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<v Speaker 1>im viewing these ordinary items, like say, a pair of

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<v Speaker 1>converse sneakers, a latch key, or a wisp of hair

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<v Speaker 1>with universal meaning. Raw and unedited personal artifacts selected from

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<v Speaker 1>hundreds of warehoused and ever incoming donations from love lorn

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<v Speaker 1>people around the world comprise the installations at the award

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<v Speaker 1>winning avant Garde Museum located in Zagreb, Croatia, plus in

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<v Speaker 1>an international traveling exhibition, and at the museum in Los Angeles, California, which,

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<v Speaker 1>while they scout a new brick and mortar location, is

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<v Speaker 1>alive and well online. A poignant smattering of samples includes

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<v Speaker 1>a jar of spicy Amish pickles purchase by a young

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<v Speaker 1>woman for her first love. He stopped returning her texts

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<v Speaker 1>within the span of their two months together, and she

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<v Speaker 1>never had a chance to give him the pickles. A

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<v Speaker 1>Peter Pan plush toy bought by a twenty five year

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<v Speaker 1>old man to remind himself to keep the boy inside

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<v Speaker 1>alive now fifty, His placard caption reads, the boy is

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<v Speaker 1>lost to me. An ex wife's non traditional whispy silk

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<v Speaker 1>wedding dress crammed into no kidding, a pickle jar after

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<v Speaker 1>her husband got the seven year itch and split, a

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<v Speaker 1>magnifying glass left by a woman as a reminder to

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<v Speaker 1>a self absorbed lover that she had always felt small,

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<v Speaker 1>and a small bottle filled with tears. Be they ordinary, extraordinary,

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<v Speaker 1>or even downright bazaar, the objects alone are just bloodless

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<v Speaker 1>chatch keys without the stories that bring them to life.

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<v Speaker 1>The museum f a Q section invites contributors to write

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<v Speaker 1>their personal confessions to be frank, withdrawn, furious, imaginative, witty,

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<v Speaker 1>or sad. Your story creates the museum display. They say,

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<v Speaker 1>your story is your stage. Anyone with strong feelings about

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<v Speaker 1>t m I etiquette may find the museum's theme to

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<v Speaker 1>be more pure exhibitionism than art. Conversely, reality show loving

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<v Speaker 1>bowyers may see it as another delicious way to access

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<v Speaker 1>misery on demand. For as long as humans have had

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<v Speaker 1>sad hearts, there has been love lost and unrequited, And

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<v Speaker 1>for as long as there's been love, there's been heartbreak

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<v Speaker 1>and pain. But perhaps the real takeaway from seeing brokenness

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<v Speaker 1>on display is to note that it's in the liminal

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<v Speaker 1>space between love and loss that we find our shared

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<v Speaker 1>humanity and discover our capacity for empathy. Today's episode is

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<v Speaker 1>based on the article Museum of Broken Relationships Houses Heartache

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<v Speaker 1>on House to Works dot com, written by Carrie Tatrow.

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<v Speaker 1>If you don't happen to be in Croatia to visit

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<v Speaker 1>the museum in person, go to broken Ships dot com

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<v Speaker 1>to see some of its exhibits. Brain Stuff is production

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<v Speaker 1>of I Heart Radio in partnership with how stuffworks dot

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<v Speaker 1>com and is produced by Tyler Clang. Four more podcasts

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<v Speaker 1>from my heart Radio. Visit the heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

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<v Speaker 1>or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.