SiouxBean

Respect: A Dinner and Conversation About It.  

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This piece was created as an interactive dining experience that promoted conversations about laborers in the food industry.  Performance, functionality, and social interaction formed this triptych piece that allowed the viewer to partake in similar acts of labor found in the industry.  Guests were asked to go through a series of hands-on steps, which symbolized the labors that go into a simple meal. The participant’s performance included acts of “waiting,” selecting and washing dishware, as well as foraging for their meals from a menu, inspired by the most labor-intensive crops.  All plates were hand-made and decal by the artist Sioux.  Hand-farming, cooking, serving, making, and washing made up the images representing the five main groups of laborers that are integral to the industry of food. Through this didactic experience the viewer gained a shared haptic sense with the laborers, as well as a better understanding of the facts about laborers in the food industry.