Classical Optics
With around 20 hands-on stations and several push-button experiments, you can discover and experience the principles and applications of the science of light.
Explore the exhibitionFictional Technologies
An artistic intervention in the treasury of optical instruments at the ‘Classical Optics’ exhibition – by Alex Trommler in collaboration with the Deutsches Museum – running until the end of September 2026.
Flussdichtenmagnetometer, Seriennummer AT604 Photo: Alex Trommler
Did you recognize it? And if so, by what clues? The intruder introduces itself as a flux density magnetometer, serial number AT604. Its outward appearance blends right in with the rest of the exhibits: "brass and glass". Its backstory sounds perfectly plausible, too: in the late 1920s, it was used at a renowned university in California to measure magnetic fields in a particle accelerator—a cyclotron. You might have just read about that over in the Atomic Physics department.
But is the flux density magnetometer really any more far-fetched than, say, the "improved vacuum spectrograph by Schumann" (No. 08.08 / Inv. No. 67787)? Or a "photoelectric photometer by Elster and Geitel" (No. 05.03 / Inv. No. 1985-73)?
You might have noticed a few clues:
- The shapes are unusual compared to the other instruments: The central glass block as well as the triangularly arranged mirrors sit in a diamond orientation on their mounts. In classic instruments, you very frequently find rectangular shapes pragmatically aligned parallel to the horizontal and vertical axes. Furthermore, mounts rarely attach directly to the sharp corners and edges of a larger body, but rather to its flat surfaces.
- The three mirrors have a small pointer needle along a line. Is this supposed to indicate an angle? If so, where is the corresponding scale? If fine adjustments are meant to be made here, why are they done freely by hand and not with precise adjustment screws?
- Where do you read the measurement, and where are you supposed to look? There are no scales, readouts, or eyepieces for observation. On the other hand, perhaps it is simply a fragment—as is so often the case with historical objects.
- If this device was really so popular in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, why has only this single one survived?
In our case, the answer is clear: We know the object is not actually a flux density magnetometer because an honest artist was at work here, not a malicious forger. But if we had to determine its authenticity on our own, it becomes obvious that a physical object does not tell us much when viewed entirely in isolation. Only by cross-referencing it with other known instruments, written sources, and literature can we pass judgment on its authenticity. And only then can we evaluate whether the story it wants to tell us is actually true.
Treasury
Photo: Alex Trommler / Sabina Mujkanovic
The Artist
Alex Trommler studied fine arts in New York, Philadelphia, Illinois, and Munich. He has also exhibited his work in cities such as Prague, Chicago, and Lybster in Scotland. In his art, Trommler explores the possibilities of metalworking, glass casting, and glass cutting. Since 2010, his engagement with these materials has led him toward forms with a technological aesthetic. They become "fictional technologies" by being embedded into plausibly constructed contexts from the history of science. These are based on thorough research, such as in museum collections, and clearly demonstrate Trommler's fascination with the diversity of technologies throughout history. The resulting complete works—comprising the physical object and a slightly ironic narrative—invite both aesthetic and technological reflection.
Find out more about Alex Trommler here: https://alextrommler.com/
Artistic intervention – at a glance
- An art object has been placed in the treasury as an ‘intruder’.
- The exhibition runs until the end of September 2026
- On display in the permanent exhibition ‘Classical Optics’ on Level 1 at the Deutsches Museum on Museumsinsel.
- The treasury is near the entrance of the exhibition.
Enjoy exploring!