For my final project in this class, I am going to be creating a table setting. The setting will exhibit my ideas surrounding “mealtime” since starting college.
I grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana. Food is a big part of the culture there. My mom, dad, and I would have home-cooked family dinners (often consisting of some local delicacy) almost every night. And on special occasions, we would have even bigger dinners with extended family. Eating is a very communal tradition where I’m from. In this project “Table For One,” I hope to convey my sadness about the recent loss of these mealtime traditions and the foods within them.
Update: I have since finished and presented my piece. This is it in process-
and this is the final result.
I’m happy with the way it came out. I wanted the overall feeling to be kind of ghostly and skeletal, so I created a plate, bowl, utensils, and coaster out of various light woods and didn’t put a finish on top. I made a clay crawfish, shrimp, and oyster and didn’t paint them, and I put dainty, dying flowers in the jar.
It was interesting to listen to everyone’s initial ideas about my piece. A lot of people guessed that it was about loneliness, and that was a part of it. But most didn’t understand why the seafood was there until Beverly asked, “aren’t you from New Orleans?”
I explained my idea behind the table setting, which turned out to be less complex than the guesses that most people were submitting. But I think that’s okay, because though I was very interested in and and always kept in mind the narrative aspect of the work- I think I was more-so obsessing over the craftsmanship (since I am a product design major!). In all, I think my table setting did convey a sense of loneliness or something missing, and it definitely looks the way I intended.
