This November, The Wolfsonian\u2013Florida International University will present Margin of Error<\/i>, an exhibition exploring cultural responses to mechanical mastery and engineered catastrophes of the modern age\u2014the shipwrecks, crashes, explosions, collapses, and novel types of workplace injury that interrupt the path of progress. Revealing the consequences of mankind\u2019s endeavor to defy and exceed limits, Margin of Error <\/i>traces the narrative of technological ambition from myth and triumph to peril and accident prevention. Major artists and designers showcased in the exhibition include Man Ray, Lewis Hine, Margaret Bourke-White, Herbert Bayer, Julius Klinger, and Louis Lozowick.<\/p>\n
Margin of Error<\/i> will be on view November 13, 2015 through May 8, 2016 and brings together over two hundred works from the mid-nineteenth and twentieth centuries, including decorative and graphic art, painting, sculpture, industrial artifacts, photography, and ephemera.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBellowing engines, towering bridges, great galleries of revolving wheels\u2014these things all gave credence to the idea that a new era was at hand, at once thrilling and thoroughly terrifying,\u201d explained Wolfsonian curator Matthew Abess, who organized the installation. \u201cThe exhibition is a reminder of how every step forward brings us that much closer to the edge of some cliff, as we evaluate, revise, and toe the line again\u2014how we are in equal measures masters of the universe, and masters of its unmaking.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Margin of Error <\/i>charts the feats and follies of this process\u2014from the aspirational spirit of early industry to its regular ruptures throughout the modern age\u2014over three loosely grouped chapters featuring works from The Wolfsonian\u2019s permanent collection as well as a small selection of loaned objects. Anchoring these chapters are a set of recurring mythic figures including Atlas, Icarus, and Prometheus, whose offering of fire to mankind is a gift most given to error.<\/span><\/p>\n Aspiration<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Margin of Error<\/i> opens with the growing influence of science and industry on modern cultural awareness, as advanced infrastructure, utilities, transportation, and modes of production gave rise to a new repertoire of visual symbols for describing visionary pursuits. As nineteenth-century engineering innovations gained greater presence in everyday life, objects and images emerged that cast man as a race of builders bending the world to its will. Works such as mechanical schematics, travel posters, photography of early flight trials, and domestic goods ranging from model trains to children\u2019s games illustrate the extent to which mechanization penetrated all facets of life, forever changing how we think about time, space, and movement.<\/span><\/p>\n Highlights are:<\/span><\/p>\n Catastrophe<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n In the second section, Margin of Error <\/i>presents the cultural embrace of modern engineering alongside associated disasters\u2014the famous, the infamous, and the everyday\u2014that routinely disrupt the pace of progress. Major incidents such as the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911, the sinking of the Titanic, and the wrecks of the Soviet Railway are represented.<\/span><\/p>\n Key works include:<\/span><\/p>\n Prevention<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n The exhibition concludes with an examination of strategies for redeeming the spirit of progress via risk awareness and accident prevention. Through work safety, insurance, and public education materials, Margin of Error <\/i>will explore some of the design solutions for navigating the hazards of modern industry, both in the workplace and at home. Objects featured here include fire extinguishers, dashboard ornaments, and modernist designs for street and railway signals.<\/span><\/p>\n Focal points of this section are:<\/span><\/p>\n Margin of Error<\/i> will be accompanied by a richly illustrated companion book with an essay by Matthew Abess. The Wolfsonian will mark the opening of the exhibition with a public reception on November 12, as well as additional programming such as a free family day, a Takeover Tour led by a guest tour guide, film screenings, and an art-making workshop.<\/span><\/p>\n\n
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