Reflections in an Empty Dish: Guest Perspectives

“[It was new to discuss] the broader definition of 'public art' as something encompassing not only site-specific installations but also things as diverse as internet communities and dinner parties.” - Brian Knep

“In the week after the dinner I ran into other dinner participants on two occasions and though both encounters were brief, it felt like the kinds of paths crossing and re-crossing that end up creating community. So in this sense the dinner provided a first meeting and an establishment that there is something in common that might be explored further in the future.” - Judith Leemann

“What sort of outcome do you want to catalyze?  As I do not
make my money working as an artist in the Berwick sense of that word,
I am not sure what sorts of goals your community is reaching for?
Fame and glory for big shows?  For inventing First Night?  Clearly
nobody wants to be an art groupie.” - Jock Gill

“I enjoyed the food and the formal presentation of that. The passing of food around a large table does something nice – calls to mind special occasions and familiar settings. The boards in the food didn’t have so much of an impact on me though I appreciated the impulse of interruption/disruption within a context that was oriented towards connecting. The sound work I appreciated even more after hearing its concept described – this strengthened my sense of it being intended/used to envelop us and to keep feeding us back into ourselves. Having a private space to write was also nice – that there was something we could go away to do – that even being away from the table had a participatory component.” - Judith Leemann

“I thought the visual component [cardboard ‘spacers’ attached to the dinner dishes that blocked guests’ views of each other as they moved around the table] served its function and made me think about who to talk to and when. I enjoyed being able to zone out of conversation entirely to focus on the ambient sounds as well.” - Neil Coletta