Dish Set Challenge I, 2013
A traveling dish set includes a cup, bowl, plate, and carrying case that was used for thirty consecutive days for every meal. The Dish Set Challenge developed from my observations on campus following a football game. The trashcans were overflowing with plastic and Styrofoam products, and the recycling no longer held anything recyclable. Realizing I could not control everyone’s actions, I believed I could control my own. I wondered what was being eaten from this packaging? Where did the food come from? Why was it served in plastic, paper and Styrofoam? What is the importance of a meal?
For thirty days, I decided to use a ceramic dish set including a plate, bowl, and cup for every meal. This would limit the amount of waste I produced and force me to use a ceramics vessel in non-traditional settings.
For transportation purposes I built a wooden box to hold the dish set and make it easier to carry. During the month I carried my dishes to restaurants, cafes, and the homes of friends and family. At times, I was denied service for health code reasons, but I was persistent and stuck with the challenge for every meal, snack, and drink that I took for the entire thirty days. I began to consider the deeper implications of where the food came from and how it was getting on my plate. I recorded the project through photographs of my daily meals and interactions. In recording what I ate every day, for every single meal it forced me to think about what I was eating: in the moment of consumption, following the meals while I wrote blog posts, and later when I visited posts from previous days. I began to make note of where my food came from. Did I transfer it from a plastic tray that was used in the microwave or did it come fresh from the farmers market? I recorded this challenge on my blog with photos and a reflection for each day. You can view the first day of the project at gardclaystudios.blogspot.com/2013/11/30-days-project-part-ii-day-1-bubble-tea.html.
After spending an entire month on a solo pursuit, I realized the importance of sharing a meal with someone. The independent journey had turned into a team pursuit when it became necessary for someone to help document. My friend Gunyoung Kim had assisted in photographing each meal. Eating together we became aware of the significance in sharing a meal. The food and conversation took on a new importance when we sat down together. As time progressed there was an awkwardness surrounding the ceramic pieces that only I could use which lead to the development of The Dish Set Challenge II.
For thirty days, I decided to use a ceramic dish set including a plate, bowl, and cup for every meal. This would limit the amount of waste I produced and force me to use a ceramics vessel in non-traditional settings.
For transportation purposes I built a wooden box to hold the dish set and make it easier to carry. During the month I carried my dishes to restaurants, cafes, and the homes of friends and family. At times, I was denied service for health code reasons, but I was persistent and stuck with the challenge for every meal, snack, and drink that I took for the entire thirty days. I began to consider the deeper implications of where the food came from and how it was getting on my plate. I recorded the project through photographs of my daily meals and interactions. In recording what I ate every day, for every single meal it forced me to think about what I was eating: in the moment of consumption, following the meals while I wrote blog posts, and later when I visited posts from previous days. I began to make note of where my food came from. Did I transfer it from a plastic tray that was used in the microwave or did it come fresh from the farmers market? I recorded this challenge on my blog with photos and a reflection for each day. You can view the first day of the project at gardclaystudios.blogspot.com/2013/11/30-days-project-part-ii-day-1-bubble-tea.html.
After spending an entire month on a solo pursuit, I realized the importance of sharing a meal with someone. The independent journey had turned into a team pursuit when it became necessary for someone to help document. My friend Gunyoung Kim had assisted in photographing each meal. Eating together we became aware of the significance in sharing a meal. The food and conversation took on a new importance when we sat down together. As time progressed there was an awkwardness surrounding the ceramic pieces that only I could use which lead to the development of The Dish Set Challenge II.
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