Anne Hasselmann:
The small exhibition “Inventarium” is a documentation of the General Inventory, which will soon be coming to an end. Unbelievable, but now, after four and a half years, we are about to complete this huge project. With me today is Mirco Melone, the project manager of the General Inventory. I would like to ask you, do you remember your first day in March 2021 at the Basel Historical Museum?

Mirco Melone:
Hello Anne, that's a good question. I actually don't remember my first day at work, it was so long ago. It was probably like first days always are. You get shown round and so on. But what I do remember, of course, is the early days in general. It was characterised by rapid familiarisation. I got to know the material, the initial outline of the collection. And of course the start of the project set-up, thinking about possible team structures, processes, workflows etc. This zero-to-a-hundred start in a relatively short space of time has stayed with me - it was really exciting.

Anne Hasselmann:
Four and a half years have passed. The facts and figures, which are also on display here, are well known: Over 300,000 objects have been newly recorded and registered. Our visitors are certainly interested in taking a look behind the scenes. Why don't you tell us about the most absurd, the most surprising, the most shocking or the most beautiful thing you've experienced here?

Mirco Melone:
I could probably answer the question about the most shocking or absurd thing every week again. After all, you always come across incredibly bizarre objects, peculiarities, absurdities in the depots of this large and magnificent collection...

Anne Hasselmann:
What if I asked you again and you had to pick out one thing? What do you remember? Which object will always remain in your memory?

Mirco Melone:
A kidney stone indeed. A kidney stone from a large collection that consisted of an entire household furnishing. And there really was a kidney stone underneath.

Anne Hasselmann:
That's really absurd. There probably aren't many households that keep a kidney stone. That surprises me too. You know the collection really well. A collection that was created over 150 years ago - incredibly diverse: a collection that ranges from militaria to ball gowns and kidney stones. As a cultural analysist and historian, what would you say characterises the collection?

Mirco Melone:
I think the collection is unique in its breadth. Or at least very, very broad. There are objects from different periods and areas. One area that sometimes remains somewhat "under the radar" is everyday culture. It is beautifully documented in this collection. Everyday history as it was experienced by people. Particularly in this museum, the collection is very well organised and there are certainly still many stories to discover.

Anne Hasselmann:
Yes, we have now laid the foundations for this. All the objects have been digitally catalogued, which is fantastic. You'll only be working here at the HMB for a few more months. How do you feel, are you sad, relieved, would you do it again?

Mirco Melone:
Yes, I am a little wistful that the project is coming to an end, it was a very exciting project. But it also took a lot of energy, so there is a certain sense of relief. I'm really glad that the General Inventory is coming to an end. But of course, I've had some excellent years here, a wonderful team, wonderful new people that I've got to know. We also had a wonderful spirit with which we will bring this project to the finish line and I will of course miss that. But that is part of the project work and hopefully there will be new projects with hopefully equally great people.
Anne Hasselmann:
I hope so, dear Mirco, thank you very much for the interview.