Just the title of this weeks lecture made me think of a show I saw in Berlin a couple of months back at Gitte Weise Gallery. The work was called 'Legato' and was a dinner table with spoons, knives and forks all interconnected with one another as well as each wine glass having a tube running to a central jug of wine in the middle of the table. The idea was one person uses their knife and fork everybody else does too. If someone has a sip of wine in the action of raising there glass the liquid is the transported back to the central jug and then disbursed into the opposite persons glass. Essentially the works was about working as one, in sync, teamwork, togetherness as well as the western meal as a ritual (exaggerated by the synchronizing actions).
What I found happened at the opening was more interesting than the work itself. There were six guests invited to eat a three-course meal in the gallery space in front of approximately 50 observers at the gallery opening that evening. There was conversation at the dinner table amongst those who were 'involved' in the artwork, as well as conversation amongst those on looking. These conversations slowly merged together as people on looking gradually became involved in the table conversation making jokes and giving tips as to how best to approach the sometimes-tricky nature of six people eating and drinking in sync. In many ways everybody who watched was involved in the work, whether it was taking photographs, talking, laughing or just making those at the table feel uncomfortable by eating in front of people. I guess the Relational Aesthetic like presence in this piece did add a dimension that I found strengthened the work.
Luke Turner
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