I think it is great that objects, and the value of objects, are diminishing in significance in the museum space. As Kreps points out, the traditional object-oriented approach to museum curation creates problems in decontexualization and also in provenance. The question of who rightfully owns these objects can be quite murky. For example, even today, the Greek government is still trying to reclaim the Parthenon marbles, half of which were looted in 1812 by a British earl and are currently property of the British Museum.

The Museum of Broken Relationships, originally a travel exhibit before finding homes in Croatia and Los Angeles, innovates as a social practice by collecting objects donated by visitors (or “users”, as Macalik would say). The museum was borne from the curators asking their friends for relics of past, failed relationships, and eventually expanded to asking visitors for their objects, whether they be images, documents, physical keepsakes.

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I love how the Museum of Broken Relationships challenges traditional curatorship by collecting objects that are not rare, aesthetic or particularly valuable. What makes these objects worth collecting and what draws in visitors is the story behind the objects, why they were significant to someone in the world. The context is everything. The objects, often, are just everyday objects that are not expensive or extremely unique. The museums encourages discussion and reflection not only on the fragility of human relationships but also on the political, social, and cultural circumstances surrounding the stories being told. The collection respects the audience’s capacity for understanding wider historical, social issues inherent to different cultures and identities and provides a catharsis for donors on a more personal level.

As for being a discursive space, I am also glad to see a shift to promoting museum-goers as equals in power and importance with the institution of the museum. If museums are, as many claim, serving the public, they should reflect the needs and life experiences of the museum-users. And in order to do that, users need to have some way of providing feedback or contributing to the museum curation.

That said, I’m not saying museum curatorship should be a democratic process. Rather, there should be balancing of the current hierarchy in museum management to give museum-goers/users more say in the preservation of their cultural heritage, history, and understanding of the world.