Cherished – Praised – Unwanted: An Exhibition Exploring Household Appliances and Society

This exhibition explores the complex relationship between household appliances and our living environments. It examines how these objects, from their development and marketing to their appropriation and use, are shaped by desires, expectations, and societal norms, reflecting the spirit of their times.

Household appliances are more than just practical tools; they profoundly shape our living environments and influence our daily actions. The exhibition "Cherished – Praised – Unwanted" illuminates the interplay between the world of objects and our domestic spaces, focusing on how household appliances are developed, marketed, and used. Technical objects carry promises of saving time and effort, ensuring cleanliness, or providing convenience, often amplified by brand names and marketing materials. Company brochures and user manuals advertise product benefits and position them as symbols of progress and modernity, while simultaneously serving as a reflection of their times. Many product leaflets from periods when households were first electrified, spanning the 1920s to the 1960s and beyond, were specifically targeted at 'housewives,' thereby sustaining conventional roles and social norms. The exhibition delves into these dynamics, questioning what made refrigerators groundbreaking innovations and exploring why certain products, like the electric mascara brush, did not achieve widespread adoption.