plug / plug

plug/plug
live extension cord terminated with two plugs dimensions variable
various iterations 2004-2013

This is a very simple piece which consists of a 20 foot long extension cord terminated with a male plug on both ends, so that both ends of the cord may be plugged into outlet receptacles. There is a certain danger to this piece - when one plug end is inserted into an outlet, the plug pins on the other end of the cord are exposed and are electrically live. But, as soon as the other plug end is plugged into an outlet on the same circuit (assuming the outlets are wired properly!), the potential energy (and danger) of the cord is taken away. Electricity works in a system of reference - a positive charge is only able to do work if you put it in relationship to a less positive, neutral, or (to accomplish even more work) a negative (or opposite) charge. In this case, the positive charge is placed in a fixed relationship with itself - and in this closed loop system, it will never have the opportunity to be in relationship to the neutral lead - the necessary condition for the potential for electrical work. In a literal sense, this arrangement describes exactly what is behind the outlet - the electricity arrives at the outlet and is split to have the same pair of potential relationships between positive and neutral at each of the receptacles. This extension cord rejoins this split; connecting neutral to neutral, hot to hot and ground to ground.