Re: Mechanical Brides

I saw the Mech Brides show at the Cooper Hewitt.  MIT Press still carries the
catalog/essay that accompanied it (it was much in the vein of the Bathroom
exhibit, which I don't think was at CH, but in Boston, but the design of the
catalog was that appropriated retro fifties look).  AS a collection of
industrial objects it was impressive, but as a curatorial exercise, it was
weak (they seemed to rely on the private collections of people who fetishize
the object in a way divergent from the intent of the exhibit, so the range of
displayed objects was arbitrary and felt incomplete).  Further, there was a
concerted attempt I think to make the show more accesible to people who don't
have serious feminist crit/design history credentials (like the middle school
class that overran the exhibit while I was there), which I think was
admirable, since I see very little sophisticated critique of these issues
that isn't jargon laden.  I think the catalog might even be better than the
actual exhibit because its very odd to view old irons and washing machines
behind glass.  I spent a good deal of the time thinking of museums (ala
Douglass Crimp and Andrea Fraser) instead of the exhibit.  But that is
unavoidable in any show, I know.

I'm not quite sure if what you were asking for, besides affirmation of seeing
it (I'd be curious if Deborah N saw it , and what her reaction was), but to
try and be succinct, I'd say if you were alreasy familiar with the critique,
it was still fasinating to see the actual objects of vehicles of ideology
(ads, etc), and if you aren't it should be a relevant part of any half
serious study of industrial design and the inevitable socio-cultural impacts
(viz the Henry Ford and Peter Behens threads).

nic musolino
subject907@xxxxxxx