ePlaya

The Wonder Cabinet

As the name implies, the Wonder Cabinet is designed to inspire awe and wonder in the viewer and by that means, a change; a metamorphosis. Because exposure to wonders previously unknown causes the observer to reevaluate their position in the world and the cosmos at large. The observer sees things that they didn’t know existed before or thought possible. The observer realizes there is a world outside the one they thought they knew. Their horizons have expanded and they know more is possible than what they thought before.

In some that might cause fear, but not with the Wonder Cabinet. The contents encourage exploration, reward curiosity, and leave both observer and curator pleased and content. The observer, having been awed and a larger world presented to them, leaves a new person and will share that knowledge with others. The curator, knowing all in the cabinet, grows further by sharing the wonders with those not yet acquainted with the contents of the cabinet. The curator crafts and searches out only the most special items, with an eye on inspiring others, and journeys with the observers, together as participants.

I am looking for fellow curators; those willing to share an object, an artifact, some trace of the greater reality. The nature of these objects is up to you: they can be found, created, or both. They should inspire wonder, mystery, happiness, whimsy or any combination of those attributes. Additionally, any cabinet-like structure is needed – it need not be in “good” condition as it will be altered into a wonder via the application of paints (perhaps) and interesting objects. The nature of the presentation environment dictates that no promises can be made as to the return of any items of wonder, but every effort will be expended to make that happen, in case the artifact is on loan from a collection.

You can read more of the history of the Wonder Cabinet, aka Wunderkammer, aka Cabinet of Curiosities here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabinet_of_curiosities

Fellow curators are welcome and, indeed, encouraged, from all corners of the earth. I live on the Eastern side of the San Francisco Bay.

The title piqued my curiosity! I love the idea!
Years ago, one of my favorite Deep playa art pieces (2014) was a cabinet that contained a machine that read sci-fi stories (headphones). I spent a lot of time there and wish I could remember the name.
I will happily bring some items to include in your cabinet if you like. I have been an artist/maker/inventor for many years.

I found the info about the piece in 2014- called "All these Gifts I Give to You" by Eric Dickson.
He set up 5 cabinets (though I only found one) in open playa and the installations were primarily audio adventures. You can look him up and read a blog post about it.
Look forward to seeing your take on a fantastic concept!
There was a piece last year - 2018 - called " The Gifting Dresser" , though I never ran across it.

DaisyMayBee,
Thank you for your replies, and apologies for the tardy response.
The Wonder Cabinet will not happen this year, I'm sorry to say. As I bounced the idea around (here and elsewhere), yours was the only response I received, and I do not have the capacity, this year, to tackle all the bits on my own. I had hoped for more interest, but without it, I just didn't have the time necessary to execute.
But, I, for one, am still excited about the idea and will do it. In fact, I've already started acquiring items.
This cabinet will include some video (interactive but abstract), some audio (generative, not recorded), but also little items of wonder (did you know scorpions glow in uv light? - not sure if that still happens once they are no longer alive though).
(As an aside, I stumbled upon this idea, while reading through a list of David Bowie's favorite books).
Do let me know if you have any ideas or exhibits for the Wonder Cabinet, as it will make it to the playa.

Plans for the future are always good!
My bandwidth is pretty full now too, but I do have ideas for a playa art project.
Something that I thought of in 2015 but will keep working on in my brain for awhile.
I do love to collaborate so if you decide to move forward next year, let me know and we can get started earlier.

daisymaybee