Automata: Mechanical Wonders of the Nineteenth Century

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Automata: Mechanical Wonders of the Nineteenth Century 
New exhibition features mechanical figures and musical machines from the 19th century 

San Francisco – The history of automata parallels humanity’s undiminished and continuous quest to create an object that has the appearance of moving like a human or an animal. The word is derived from the Greek automatos, meaning “self-moving.” This exhibition of automata and mechanical tableaux offers a broad range of automaton production in France from the second half of the nineteenth century. They reflect the curiosities and preoccupations of French society at this time—an interest in exotic, foreign places, and a fascination with the clowns, artists, conjurers, musicians, and dancers that inhabited the streets and entertainment halls of Paris. Most are set in motion by a mechanical spring motor and possess a music box. The best makers of the era are represented: Lambert, Phalibois, Tharin, Renou, Roullet & Decamps, and Vichy. 

This exhibition was made possible through generous participation by the Morris Museum, Morristown, New Jersey. The museum’s Murtogh D. Guinness Collection of Mechanical Musical Instruments and Automata, consisting of 750 objects plus over 4,000 pieces of media, represents one of the most significant collections of its type in the country.

Images from the exhibition are available for download at: http://www.flysfo.com/web/page/sfo_museum/about/press_images/exh-automata.html

Automata: Mechanical Wonders of the Nineteenth Century is located pre-security in the International Terminal Main Hall Departures Lobby, San Francisco International Airport. The exhibition is on view to all Airport visitors from November 20th, 2011 to May 13th, 2012. There is no charge to view the exhibition.

SFO Museum

SFO Museum was established by the Airport Commission in 1980 for the purposes of humanizing the Airport environment, providing visibility for the unique cultural life of San Francisco, and providing educational services for the traveling public.  The Museum has been accredited by the American Association of Museums since 1999, and has the distinction of being the only accredited museum in an airport. Today, SFO Museum features approximately twenty galleries throughout the Airport terminals displaying a rotating schedule of art, history, science, and cultural exhibitions, as well as the San Francisco Airport Commission Aviation Library and Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum, a permanent collection dedicated to the history of commercial aviation.  For more information, please visit www.flysfo.com/museum .

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