About

One of the most interesting components of the Kabinett is its pride of place and heavy foot traffic. Combined with the absence of a door entirely, public engagement with the space occurs often and regularly. While it is a structure, an installation on the street, and a shelter, it is also a performance and a character in its own rite.

When a burnt baguette was left inside the Kabinett, the guerilla artwork garnered instant affection. Peculiar, charming, and self-contained, the origins of the baguette remained unknown for days: the artist chose to remain anonymous.

Placed precisely in the centre of the Kabinett’s central shelf, the baguette was exhibited for the span of ten days. While some exhibitions experience a degree of tampering, the baguette remained peacefully undisturbed.

The ubiquity of such a quotidian token of basic nourishment is both accessible and non-threatening. Puzzling and unexpected, the humorous encounter embodies the whimsical, optimistic ethos behind the cabinet of curiosity.

Because of its accessibility, the artwork challenges notions of value and the designation of art, especially through having been burnt past the point of edibility and later transformed into an object of desire and contemplation.

To further amplify the transformation from object to artefact, the baguette was auctioned off via social media to the Kabinett’s audience. The winning bidder was presented (free of charge) with a certificate of authenticity and a bespoke wooden crate to house Burnt Baguette.