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Writer and critic Paul Virilio is considered to be one of the most important and incisive contemporary critics of technology and its moral, political and cultural implications. His latest catalogue, published to accompany an exhibition he has conceived for the Foundation Cartier in Paris, examines the philosophical issues raised by our confrontation with accidents and their impact on our world. Accidents capture our attention, surprise or shock us, disrupt or ultimately alter the course of our existence. Whether significant or insignificant, benign or disastrous, accidents always reveal something about ourselves and the systems we construct. For Virilio, to invent the ship is to invent the shipwreck, to invent electricity is to invent electrocution. Accidents are consequently, in his view, inherent in all technological systems. This catalogue features over 200 illustrations, including press photographs, paintings and engravings representing natural and industrial accidents from the past three centuries. It also contains reproductions of the works of the many artists included in the exhibit, most notably Lebbeus Woods, Noncy Robins, Stephen Vitiello, Cai Guo Qiang, Bruce Conner, Tony Oursler, Jonas Mekas and Jem Cohen.

Paul Virilio's many books include Ground Zero, War and Cinema, Open Sky and The Information Bomb.