A new so-called ‘selfie museum’ in Budapest that lets visitors pose by pink palm trees and frolic in multi-coloured sprinkle baths has proved to be a hit with social-media savvy locals and tourists alike.
With almost 30,000 visitors since it opened last December, the the 400-square-metre large “Selfie Museum”, billed as the first of its kind in Europe, is already one of the Hungarian capital’s most popular attractions.
Its creators say their idea, inspired by a similar venue in the U.S., is targeted at the younger generation looking for an edge to their status updates or profile pictures. However, recently a pair of pensioners also popped in to top up their photos for an annual calendar they present to each other, said Lilla Gangel, who co-founded the museum with her partner Balazs Koltai .
Visitors entering the first of 11 exhibition rooms are met with palm trees growing from the walls and pink-coloured surroundings. “Here you can stand out from the crowd, perhaps by finding a crazy new perspective like an aerial photo, or by playing with the quirky props,” said 33-year-old Ms. Gangel. “There are more and more places on the Internet where you can share photos, we’re living in this type of world now, whether we like it or not,” she said.
The 11 interactive installations at the museum include a ride on banana swings, a climb on a unicorn, or a lounge on giant macaroons.
“We play with shapes and colours, and try to push people’s borders and let their creativity bloom,” Ms. Gangel said.
Word about the new museum has spread fast, unsurprisingly, on platforms like Instagram and Snapchat.
“They’re typical teenagers, They like Instagram and photos,” said Oli, an Israeli tourist, while her young daughters threw exaggerated poses behind her. “These are the times we are living in, what can you do,” she laughed.
Panka Major, an 18-year-old Hungarian student, said she was an avid user of social media but lamented that “nowadays everyone checks their phones every minute”.
“It’s a natural thing but also bad, as you do not live in the moment, and instead reach for a phone to record it,” she said.
