Plasma Dunny

If you thought the ground-breaking work of Nikola Tesla and Paul Budnitz couldn’t possibly share any commonality, think again. California-based artist Dustin Cantrell has combined a plasma globe with a designer toy to create an ultra-limited run of Plasma Dunnys. Dustin’s creation is a rumination on the idea that Tesla’s toiling, which “at the time must have seemed like some kind of magic, has been reduced to cheap, Chinese-made novelty toys to be sold in malls at stores like Spencer’s Gifts.” Of course, designer toys have nothing in common with the kind of wares hocked at novelty shops, and Dustin’s Tesla-inspired figures will find fans in fine art connoisseurs and Burning Man attendees alike.

The metallic silver interactive Plasma Dunnys are limited to four pieces (valued at hundreds of dollars): three will be for sale later this month in ToyCyte’s new store for emerging artists, and one is being given away for free right now as part of ToyCyte’s custoMONDAY series. Dustin is looking for your favorite gadget (real or imagined), and will choose a winner based on all comments received here by February 15th.