Dish Set Challenge II, 2013-2014

I created a connected dish set to focus the experience on the intimacy of sharing a meal. I collaborated with my husband Forrest Gard using the dish set to eat and drink every meal together for seven consecutive days. This project focused on waste reduction but it added the component of a shared meal experience. It was indeed a challenge and at times frustrating. In forcing us to eat next to each other and to eat at the same time it brought an importance to the meal that was not there when I had completed the challenge on my own. It was a shared challenge and a shared experience. Similar to the Dish Set Challenge I, we visited restaurants and were occasionally rejected. But what was important is that we were able to share the meals together. The vessel design forced us to sit next to each other and to take every drink together in unison. Our intention was set through the design, forcing us to sit in close proximity, eat together, and encouraged us to engage with each other in conversation throughout the meal. This shared dish set forced us to participate fully in each meal together. You can view the first day of the project at gardclaystudios.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-dish-set-challenge-ii-forrest.html