Penelope Umbrico, Cabinet 1526-2013, 2013, photographs, metal and glass, PS/IS 48, Staten Island

Cabinet 1526-2013 is a photographic installation made of 6000 images found on the Internet by artist Penelope Umbrico. The images are of hand-drawn illustrations of natural science categories from birds and reptiles to seashells and stars. The illustrations date from the early 1900s to as far back as 1526 and were used for study, research and scholarly publications. Umbrico pays homage to the artists who created these illustrations listing each as part of her plaque. The fine details in the drawings indicate the thoughtful, careful and time-consuming work needed to achieve such preciseness. Imagination and creativity fill the gaps for creatures and objects not fully understood.
 
The artwork is inspired by the original definition of the encyclopedia as “education” and a source of “complete knowledge.” It is also a reference to cabinets of curiosities first originating in the 1600s. A cabinet of curiosities was a room specifically designated for the display of encyclopedic collections of objects. It served as a model for how the very first museums were organized.

Cabinet 1526-2013 explores the relationship between the hand-made and the computer-generated, the past and the present. In contrast to today’s Internet-driven, fast paced, globally accessible and constantly changing world, Umbrico provides her viewers with a contemporary cabinet of curiosities -showing a view of the world we live in that is stable, historical, speculative and reflective.