Useful Work vs Useless Toil
Useful Labor vs Useless Toil is a pamphlet and lecture given by the decorative artist, poet and philosopher William Morris in 1884. It was a critique of the waste and inequality inherent in the capitalist system exacerbated by the Industrial Revolution. A new relationship between man and machine was born and Morris felt the need to sound the alarm bell. From his point of view, our quality of life and in particular the sense of satisfaction and pleasure derived from meaningful work was being taken from us. This exhibit will examine our relationship to various forms of technology as creative tools.