ONGOING SERIES, 2017-

Very Proper Table Setting is a cross-cultural experiment in various US locations where visitors creatively arrange imaginary meals using Korean serving vessels. As participants attempt to find suitable vessels for dishes from their own cultures, they encounter the challenges of unfamiliar territory, akin to the experiences of newly-settled immigrants. Serving vessels and cutlery carry unique social norms, etiquettes, and suggestions from each culture. In this exploration, participants reinvent meanings, significances, and functions from Korea to align with their backgrounds and expectations. Notes from the exercises, including the diner's name and details about the meal and neighborhood, serve as a guide for assembling communal dining tables, which will be documented and cast with papers.

 

Experience this engaging table setting game, for the online visitor -developed during the pandemic, and uncover the cultural richness embedded in the act of arranging a table.

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