New Inventions and the Latest Innovations (Paperback)

Doug Skinner

ISBN 10: 1939663989 / ISBN 13: 9781939663986

Published by Wakefield Press, Cambridge, 2024

About this Item

Paperback. Satirical yet prophetical advertisements for imaginary new products, influential to Marcel Duchamp and Francis PicabiaOriginally published in book form in 1916, this volume of French author Gaston de Pawlowskis (18741933) writings, New Inventions and the Latest Innovations, collects the humorists fictional columns mocking his eras burgeoning consumerism and growing faith in science. From anti-slip soap, gut rests and the pocket-sized yardstick to repurposed spittoons, nasal vacuums, electric oysters and musicographical revolvers, Pawlowski offers a far-sighted critique of technological gadgetry and a cynical promise to remove discomfort from every facet of life, even as World War I raged on and technology was unleashing new horrors onto humanity.Pawlowskis humorous cultural critique and tongue-in-cheek celebration of uselessness and futility bears relevance for today, as technology remains the hoped-for answer to our increasingly troubled human condition. Described with the excessive optimism of the sales pitch, these inventions of yesteryear were also an influence in the arts, admired by such figures as Marcel Duchamp and Raymond Queneau, and standing as a precursor to the work of such artists as Jean Tinguely and todays looming specter of AI-generated artwork and literature. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781939663986

Bibliographic Details

• Title: New Inventions and the Latest Innovations (Paperback)
• Publisher: Wakefield Press, Cambridge
• Publication Date: 2024
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1939663989
• ISBN 13: 9781939663986
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

Satirical yet prophetical advertisements for imaginary new products, influential to Marcel Duchamp and Francis Picabia

Originally published in book form in 1916, this volume of French author Gaston de Pawlowski’s (1874–1933) writings, New Inventions and the Latest Innovations, collects the humorist’s fictional columns mocking his era’s burgeoning consumerism and growing faith in science. From anti-slip soap, gut rests and the pocket-sized yardstick to repurposed spittoons, nasal vacuums, electric oysters and musicographical revolvers, Pawlowski offers a far-sighted critique of technological gadgetry and a cynical promise to remove discomfort from every facet of life, even as World War I raged on and technology was unleashing new horrors onto humanity.
Pawlowski’s humorous cultural critique and tongue-in-cheek celebration of uselessness and futility bears relevance for today, as technology remains the hoped-for answer to our increasingly troubled human condition. Described with the excessive optimism of the sales pitch, these inventions of yesteryear were also an influence in the arts, admired by such figures as Marcel Duchamp and Raymond Queneau, and standing as a precursor to the work of such artists as Jean Tinguely and today’s looming specter of AI-generated artwork and literature.