Dine with Me (2022)

Wood, fabric
98 x 131 x 119 cm

A dining table set for two: a couple about to sit for an intimate, romantic, ceremonial encounter, or just a casual meal.

At first glance, there is nothing unusual about the scene: one table, two chairs. But beneath the table, there’s a different story altogether. The chairs are joined to each other, four legs shared between the two.

Dine with Me is an expression of a symbiotic, dependent relationship. The absence of separation prevents development of a natural a relationship or connection between two individuals. Ostensibly separate and independent, the pair about to sit down and eat can only exist together as one. Their togetherness and attachment only permits a limited and problematic existence: either they sit with their legs stretched out straight ahead, intertwined; or to one side or the other of the chair, semi-detached).

A symbiotic relationship, in which the existence of one depends entirely on that of the other, creates the illusion of security and stability. The romanticisation of “one soul in two bodies” (Aristotle) reinforces this sense of interdependence.