Shangri-La

Visitors were forewarned, a hand-written sign announcing: "The museum testifies to the thousand year history, work and labour of our ancestors. The exhibition extends for over 5000 m²." From the outset, it was a utopian undertaking. Not without reason does the lama monastery Shangri-La from James Hilton's novel Lost Horizon serve as namesake to this museum. Pietro Benzi (1931 - 2014) maintained the project from 1965 onwards. He collected what they no longer wanted, what had become antiquated or gone out of fashion: 2.7 million everyday objects, many of which were household effects, religious kitsch, knick-knacks, shoes and plastic toys. This photographic essay takes the viewer on a journey inside his unsystematic collection.