Meal.taphor

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Shiqi Xu

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Launch: Mon - Sep 12, 2022 9:00 am - 9:30 am EDT
Status: Finished

Based on the shared meal system in China, the dining table is supposed to be the best place for reunion and communication, but most quarrels of my family were actually happened at the dining table. During a meal, my mom always gave me some outdated traditional women indoctrination. Articulating my grievances directly made the conflicts worse. Hiding emotions and pretending everything is going well made the family relationship strained. How can I express myself in the way that my mom wants to listen?

We sit in front of the round dining table and eat with round plates. Circle is the most preferred shape for the Chinese, because we believe that the circle is a metaphor for happiness and reunion. Metaphor, an implicit figure of speech, is also preferred by the implicative Chinese. Without saying anything clearly, but everything is clear to the listener. Inspired by this concept, ‘Meal.taphor’, a collection of garments, textiles, accessories and performance is created.

Objects around us during a meal were selected and transformed by silhouettes or fabric details. Each object is a metaphor for something, creating a new implicative narrative together. ‘Meal.taphor’ embrace new technologies (digital printing and laser cutting ) and traditional techniques (printmaking, beading, etc…) to explore the relationship and the integration of two generations.

Shiqi Xu Meal.taphor