Floating table

Drawing inspiration from two key words, ‘water’ and ‘rice’, the Floating table invites participants to recreate a primitive and fun space to gather and share food. The water on the table represents lakes and rivers, which are essential not only within geographical landscapes and to life on earth, but to religions and beliefs, with water making up one of the ‘five elements’ within Southeast Asian cultures. 

Due to the impact of humans in and around bodies of water, however, water is becoming increasingly polluted within Southeast Asian countries. The work will invite the viewer to think and reflect on pollution, as well as natural disaster events, such as floods, landslides, rising sea levels and tsunamis. Rice paper, which will feature as the ‘floating dishes’ within the work, makes up an important component to many dishes within Southeast Asian cultures. Participants will be involved in moving the floating dishes around the table atop the water.

From the role of ‘cuisine’ and to ‘nourish a body’, rice paper and water are transformed into artworks, conceptualising an ideal. By using space to explore the possibilities of performance, the work plays with the use of display and materials, where the meal table becomes an installation, and the audience become the performers.