postmaster@museumofanthropocenetechnology.org, via Leggiuno 32
2014 Laveno Mombello
Italia
Museum of Anthropocene Technology
Article by Britta Krempe in her blog Discover Lago Maggiore
Today I would like to tell you about what was probably my most unusual museum visit ever. My friend Brigitte had made an appointment for us to visit a privately run museum, but couldn’t or didn’t really want to explain to me in advance what it was all about. So now we were standing in front of a large iron gate, which formed the entrance to a very old, very tastefully and modernly renovated house, and I had no idea what to expect. When we rang the bell, Frank Raes, the Belgian-born landlord, opened the door.
I’m a little confused at first. The exhibits – everyday objects, art objects, documents, crazy arrangements – somehow don’t make sense. Frank points to a large collection of espresso machines: “Look here, these interesting objects. They all look very similar. There’s even a catalog for them. Why were these objects so important to people? What were they used for?” Uh, excuse me? You can see that! To make espresso! And so Frank draws our attention to various objects whose meaning I don’t quite understand, some of which I don’t even recognize. Until, after a while, Frank finally gives us the key to his philosophical museum: “We’re in the year 52025 and have found all these things here under various layers of earth and are now trying to find out what people probably used these things for back then. We also don’t know why the Anthropocene civilization died out and we don’t know exactly when.”
Ah, now it’s slowly dawning on me. Slowly, I manage to get my head around the exhibits and begin to engage in the thought experiment. “Here, for example, we have found various things that seem to be connected. A monitor, a keyboard, a telephone, a loudspeaker, a tape recorder… who knows what people did with them back then?”
We wander through the three old, interconnected buildings and “cabinets of curiosities”, as Frank calls some of the rooms. “Chambers of curiosities are rooms in which natural objects, artifacts, art and crafts, but also rarities and curiosities are collected to show the universal connection of things.” It is not only the exhibits in the bewildering number of rooms that impress and engage me, but also the incredible architecture of the buildings. Old walls are connected by concrete and metal, revitalized and given a new purpose.
I don’t want to reveal too much about the museum. Just so much that days later I was still walking through everyday life with different eyes. I had never dealt with the term Anthropocene before. The term was coined in the early 2000s and describes the geological age in which humans have had a decisive influence on the earth’s processes. It is a very complex term that is also the subject of controversial debate.
And that is exactly what Frank wants to achieve with his museum: To make people think about their existence. He succeeded in doing that with me!
Oh yes: Frank! You could write a whole blog post about Frank Raes, climate researcher, TED speaker and artist. I’ll make it easy for myself and link to his TED talk (Italian with English subtitles), which explains a little about how the museum in Laveno Mombello, founded in 2017, came about.
Frank also has a political message, which can be read in his many publications – some of which are available on the website of his museum – but I don’t want to go into these in detail as I don’t agree with some of his statements.
Anyone wishing to visit the Museum of Anthropocene Technology must register in advance. Frank is happy to welcome visitors who are not afraid if someone shakes up their “world view” a little.
postmaster@museumofanthropocenetechnology.org, via Leggiuno 32
Laveno Mombello
21014
Italia