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The work refers to the idea of a universal natural science museum — an Era of Discovery (Modern Age) concept about collecting as a systematization of knowledge about the whole world. The concept is based on the belief in the universality of taxonomies as a method of classifying things and data about them.
The object is a “home” display case that holds a collection of beans. Each bean has its own taxonomic designation: a stooped bean, a stubborn bean, a jumping bean, a tired bean, etc. These human-commensurable (in Heideggerian sense) designations conflict with the Modern Age idea of an “objective museum,” which strove for scientific impartiality of knowledge. In creating her taxonomy, the artist asks: “Is my world the same as the world of the Other?” “Is there an Other whose world corresponds to the ‘world’ of the natural science museum?”.
The Latin name of the bean — Phaseolus vulgaris — is translated as “common bean.”
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