Field Guide – Cabinet of Electrical Curiosities Mark Dion

Using mostly industrial objects collected on the site of the former Zenger transformer substation, Mark Dion’s project tells the story of the building itself, from its construction in the 1930s to its most recent conversion. The Cabinet of Electrical Curiosities echoes museums’ traditional focus on knowledge and preservation while bearing witness to an era marked by the growth of urban electrification. Having once powered the city’s tram networks, the Zenger station is a symbol both of Prague’s metamorphosis and the radical shift in its population’s way of life. What was a true revolution of modernity is conveyed by the switches, lightbulbs, batteries and other electrical components arranged like precious relics on shelves, in drawers and inside the glass display cases. This guide features a selection of these objects, accompanied by a brief description penned by the technical historian Milan Guštar. 

Author: Mark Dion
Texts: Milan Guštar, Christelle Havranek 
Graphic design: Marta Maštálková  

Number of pages: 36 
Format: 130 x 210 mm 
Binding: V1, paperback 
Language: English
ISBN 978-80-908456-7-1 

Published by: Kunsthalle Praha (second edition)
Date of publication: 2023