When Drazen Grubisic and Olinka Vistica ended their relationship in 2004 they had a box full of items that no longer had a home. Each item had memories tied to it, a reminder of their shared past, and while some were easy to part with, many were not.
Instead of fighting over the remnants, the couple decided to start the Museum of Broken Relationships, which will be making its Canadian debut in Whitehorse next March as part of the Yukon Arts Centre 2014-2015 performing and visual arts line-up.
The exhibit, which began in 2006, has spanned more than a dozen countries, collecting items along the way.
In the first exhibit in Zagreb, Croatia, there was a red Nokia cellphone, it’s cord furled around it, accompanied with a piece of text, “it was 300 days too long. He gave me his cell phone so I couldn’t call him any more.”
A white plush teddy bear sat next to it, a red heart sewn onto its hands, reading, “I love you.”
“I got this teddy bear for Valentine’s,” the text read. “He survived on top of my closet in a plastic bag, because it wasn’t him who hurt me, but the idiot who left him behind.”
Yukoners will have a chance to contribute their own items to the exhibit, which will run next spring from March 5 to May 23, coinciding, intentionally, with spring break-up.
The exhibit is just one of nearly 20 shows that will be coming to town over the next year.
“We’re really excited about the upcoming line-up” said Katie Newman, marketing and development director with the arts centre.
“I think it’s going to be a fun season with something for everyone.”
Included on the roster is Young Drunk Punk, a solo-show starring Bruce McCulloch of Kids in the Hall fame. The show is a combination of stand-up comedy, live music and assorted insights drawn from McCulloch’s life.
McCulloch, whose early years were spent roaming around Calgary and Toronto, calling various futons home, is now a “pajama-clad dad” living in Hollywood Hills, a transition that he’ll reflect on in the show, which runs from October 29-30.
Residents will also be able to meet McCulloch in person at a book signing to be announced later. The show, which has been on tour across the country for more than a year, has received rave reviews.
In September, some of the Yukon’s largest long-lost residents will be returning home in Ice Age Mammals, which will run from the 4th of the month until November 29.
Ninety per cent of the specimens featured in the exhibit, which will include real fossils, touchable casts and interactive displays, once called Yukon home.
Produced by the Canadian Museum of Nature, the exhibit runs in partnership with the Montreal Science Centre, the Royal Tyrrell Museum and Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre.
“It will be an educational program,” said Newman, “and have both an art and scientific perspective.” The exhibit has been seen by millions across North America but this will be its first time in the territory.
In the performing arts, Dr. Gabor Mate will star in The Damage Is Done, an intersection of personal essay, video, theatre and modern dance. The show will adapt ideas found in Mate’s novel, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, which examines the nature of addiction, our susceptibly to it and what we can do to avoid it.
The Damage Is Done will make its world premiere at the arts centre on September 12, with a second performance the following evening.
For a complete listing of the 2014-2015 events visit yukonartscentre.com
Contact Sam Riches at
sam@yukon-news.com