Per­fect­ly Im­per­fect – flaws, short­co­m­ings and de­fects

Mistakes appear, mishaps happen, things are damaged, many things remain unfinished or provisional. Imperfection accompanies our lives and we learn to deal with it using different strategies. Even in design processes, in the material world and in production, imperfection itself as well as its consequences are extremely diverse - from a cosmetic flaw that unexpectedly defines a valuable unique item to a ruinous production error or a failed construction project.

With the exhibition “Perfectly Imperfect”, the Gewerbemuseum Winterthur explores the tension between perfection and deviation and examines the qualities of the supposedly defective, the meaning of the unfinished, the patina of the ephemeral and the art of repair. It critically addresses a pursuit of quality that cannot be fulfilled or is intentionally and creatively undermined. In design processes and in our immediate living environment, the balance between a necessary or supposed demand for perfection and dealing with apparent and serious errors turns out to be complex. So the question is, when is something perfect? What is the value of apparent deficits?



Wrong decisions or carelessness, technical defects, design errors and the stubbornness of materials or their wear and transience - the reasons for imperfection are diverse. The show exemplifies the extent to which the consequences of flaws, shortcomings and defects can have damaging or positive effects, such as the attractive cosmetic flaw that makes an object something very special. The focus is on deviations from the ideal and questions are raised about how damaged things are recovered or repaired, how reused material resources lead to new solutions, or how failure and playing with chance can show new paths. Because: Perfectly Imperfect is much more than shortcomings and defects.