#7 Ambiguous Standards of Electricity:
Plugs and Outlets
From An Institute In An Insititute, 2021
Fourteen types of electrical outlets are used worldwide, classified from type A to N. The distribution of these widely used plugs, one of the earliest manifestations of the industrialised world, transcends national boundaries as well as the cardinal points on earth. Something seemingly and entirely technical and extraneous to daily life, affects our quotidian practices. This crate emphasises the nongeographic relationships between countries and offers an alternative reading of the history of civilisations, commerce and domination, a way to recognise other connections among them—social and electrical alike.
This crate showcases an invisible network of standards and how they vary according to social and cultural parameters as well as electrical ones through different plugs or outlets, accompanied by an electrified and illuminated world map. It also illustrates how difficult it is to attain a global standardised infrastructure once established.
Contents: 14 plugs (types A–N), their corresponding outlets; and a world map.