Infrastructure

Invisible but indispensable, infrastructure is the unsung hero of modernity. A term originally coined in the early twentieth century to refer to the combination of logistics and material necessary for any military operation, the word has come to encompass all the various physical and organizational systems necessary to maintain urban environments, transportation and communication networks, and global commerce. In addition to its regular columns and insightful texts on a range of topics, "Cabinet 41" includes a special section on "Infrastructure," featuring Sina Najafi on the history of the intermodal container, Jeffrey Kastner on hospital kitchens, Sandra Dering on the wonders of the portable toilet, Simone Beart on the abandoned subway tunnels beneath Paris and Zoe Beller on mathematical models for optimizing packing and storage. Known for its beautifully produced artist projects, this issue of the award-winning quarterly highlights the work of Alessandra Galatia.