The culmination of decades of omnivorous collecting, The Museum of Innocence is both a 2008 novel by Orhan Pamuk and a museum based on the book. From the very beginnings of the project in the 1990s, Pamuk has conceived of a novel and museum together, and the physical manifestation of The Museum of Innocence in Istanbul uses his novel of lost love as a departure point to explore the city of his youth. Set between 1974 and the early 2000s, the novel describes life in Istanbul between 1950 and 2000 through memories and flashbacks, and focuses on two families: one wealthy, the other lower middle class. The museum, which opened this past spring, presents what the characters of the novel used, wore, heard, saw, collected and dreamed of, all meticulously arranged in boxes and display cabinets.
In the complementary catalog, The Innocence of Objects, an index of this remarkable museum, Pamuk writes about things that matter deeply to him: the psychology of the collector, the proper role of the museum, the photography of old Istanbul (illustrated with his superb collection of haunting photographs and movie stills), and, of course, the customs and traditions of his beloved city. Combining compelling art and writing, The Innocence of Objects is an original work of art and literature. The program will be followed by a question and answer session with the audience.
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