A PLATE OF FOOD IS
A MAP OF THE WORLD
everything in it can be traced
back to the soil
back to the land
back to people
Be it
for pleasure or necessity, when we sit down to eat a plate of food, we discover the flavor of an idea. Folded in a mushroom risotto or the wrapper of a hamburger, what is being offered is a rendering of the world, a representation of political, economic and social realities.
Over this plate of food there is often a conversation, all aspects of life are being talked about. In a restaurant, the same table may become the stage for business deals, awkward reunions, marriage proposal or calls for impeachment. All in the course of one night, all taking place in public, where diners, both actors and spectators, join in a discreet play, a theater of everyday life.
In the weaving of these stories and ideas culture finds a fertile soil.
Imagine a restaurant where artists along with cooks, servers, farmers, activists, community members and educators work together to unravel these threads. Using the things and codes of an ordinary restaurant as their medium, they reveal, explore and challenge the relationships hidden in and around a plate of food.
A sign over the entrance gives this restaurant its name: OPEN
OPEN is a sculpture
an object defining a space, a complex structure with all its elements made visible, a construction staged by tiered seating.
OPEN is a commons
a place where people gather, a collective expression, an environment designed for social interaction and creative engagement, one organism in a growing network.
OPEN is a restaurant
a place to sit down and have a meal.
OPENrestaurant 