Dine with Me

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 situation: one table, two chairs. At some point the couple will arrive, and then dinner will begin. The setting is elegant and inviting; on the surface, it matches our social expectations. But beneath the table, there’s a different story altogether. The chairs are joined to each other, four legs shared between the two.

And so a second glance confirms the incongruity of the moment: the soon-to-arrive couple will not be able to sit. The chairs are fused to each other, and forcible separation will cause fracture and collapse. So, in fact, there is no way of sitting at the table for two. The viewer must now step away from the standard point of view;  pause, bend, observe, and try to figure out what is going on beneath the surface.

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 romanticization of “one soul in two bodies” (Aristotle) reinforces this sense of interdependence.

For years, women were considered the property of men, first a father and then a husband, and thus had no independent existence of their own. As a result, many generations have considered total union a relationship ideal, without acknowledging the price, both emotional and concrete.