With today’s artist I’m going to start right away with his statement about the project because…well.. I couldn’t explain it any better:

“Service: Dinner for Strangers is my latest research into the crossing of contemporary visual art, craft culture, the handmade object, and art as a type of service. At the heart of the exhibition I am exploring the sharing of community, ideas and space through the sharing of meals.

Over the course of the exhibition, I will host 3 potlucks for 7 strangers from Red Deer and will serve each on a different set of dishes I have had especially commissioned for Service. On display in this gallery are the 3 complete sets of ceramic dishes made by 3 different artists:

Robin Dupont
Maggie Finlayson
Candice Ring

The potlucks happen each Thursday night over the duration of the show – January 15, 22 and 29. Following each dinner, images of the participates will be added to the gallery display.

Eating together and sharing food can be an intimate experience through which people learn about each other, new ideas, and, in this case, about art, craft and the community in which we live.

This exhibition focuses on the direct interaction between the audience and artist, the gallery and it’s community and attempts to transform the space into a place for exploration, sharing and meeting your neighbours.”
I’ve been really interested in Robin’s approach to craft production and theory in the last few years since meeting him over some great chinese food in Canberra. His focus on relational aesthetics, how we interact with handmade objects, how objects impact us in return, the role of art in the service of community building and interpersonal relationships, all infuse his work and ideas with a contemporary relevance that is both poetic and beautiful. I particularly love this last image, it sums up the relevance and the impact of his project perfectly. Strangers really are just people/friends you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting yet.

Please take a bit of time to check out some of his other projects on his website which also includes more about Dinner for Strangers