Dinner Project
The Dinner Project was a series of performances that took place in Biella, Italy, during the summer of 2000.
In this project, a number of assistants and I (all of us non-Italians), carrying all the products, kitchenware and tableware required for a sumptuous six course dinner for ten, wandered from door to door in Biella and tried to persuade residents to let us cook dinner for them in their kitchens.
We would offer up printed menus, and people could choose to invite us in to make their dinner. In some cases people invited friends to share the meal.
Out of about 100 encounters we were invited to cook three times. (On two occasions we returned with all the food after no one invited us in). At the end of the meal we made a group photo with our hosts and then took the dirty plates and cookware with us to wash at home. The project aimed to heighten and expose the tension between the fear of strangers and the desire for a spontanious adventure.