The Museum of Innocence, Orhan Pamuk's award-winning Istanbul-based institution inspired by his novel of the same name, has decamped (temporarily) to Somerset House in London (until 3 April). Thirteen vitrines stuffed with domestic knick-knacks mark different moments of Kemal Bey’s intense love affair with Füsun, his twice removed cousin, against a 1970s backdrop. But visitors to the show will also get a taste of Istanbul, and Pamuk’s museum, through a major new documentary—Innocence of Memories: Orhan Pamuk’s Museum and Istanbul—which is directed by Grant Gee. Pamuk has written the narration for the film which is relayed by a childhood friend of Füsun. “It draws upon several strands: the Museum of Innocence novel, Pamuk’s memoir Istanbul: Memories of a City, and his 2006 detective novel, The Black Book. It’s a trek through the city and the museum,” says Gee. Pamuk told The Guardian how the documentary evolved (with some unlikely canines as co-stars). “In our walks with Grant through the city’s deprived, dangerous, distant, and damaged neighbourhoods, we noticed that the same dogs that have been ruling the streets at night since the Ottoman era were still around. They were no longer roaming in packs, perhaps, but solitary dogs still padded patiently down the city streets, watching us with interest,” he says. Innocence of Memories was released in the UK on 29 January.
