Devices of Wonder: from The World in A Box to Images on A Screen

• Museum: J. Paul Getty Museum

• Visit Date: January, 2002

• Review Completed:

• Description:

  It has been over five years since I visited the temporary exhibition, “Devices of Wonder” and I still remember it as a significant visitor experience. It certainly wasn’t because of the exhibition design—a typical presentation of objects under glass, text panels, and furniture-like casework. It wasn’t the style of exhibition text, which was often long and a bit too pedantic for my taste. Even the way the exhibition sections were laid out was a bit confusing to me. And yet, with all of these flaws, it remains one of my favorites. Why?

  In part, it is because of the objects—microscopes and magic lanterns, shells and spectacles, Cornells and a Calder—wonderful and extraordinary objects that were a delight to behold. And in part, it is because of its boundary-breaking approach to the subject matter: Art, science, history, media, mythology, and commerce were woven together and juxtaposed in odd and interesting ways. Organized into sections such as “Little Epiphanies,” “Interior Reflections,” “Alternative Realities,” and “Phantomware,” (to name a few), the thoughtful intelligence at the core of the exhibition created a delightful landscape in which to exercise my imagination.

  It wasn’t all easy going. I had to focus, compare, question, and search for connections and meaning. But the experience was not confounding—I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it, and I wasn’t the only one who enjoyed it. I was there on a Sunday, and a Latino festival was going on in the plaza. The exhibition was filled with people the entire time—people pointing, laughing, talking, and looking closely. And the predominant visitor language that day was Spanish.

  As far as I can tell, the exhibition was only shown at the Getty, and for less than three months altogether. That’s a shame. I wish more of my colleagues could have seen it, and I wish I could visit it again.

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