I have been exploring power dynamics which has resulted in making tableware that mediates for restaurants. Due to the unnatural nature of the relationship between waiting staff and customer, awkward moments are often produced throughout the experience such as trying to catch a waiting staff’s attention, and my plates provide a visual system of communication to alleviate this. By being stood up, they indicate that a customer would like a waiting staff’s attention.
Comprising of a set of three – a starter, main and dessert plate – they each carry their own nuance to reflect the complexity of the restaurant experience. The starter plate moves politely at the beginning of the process due to the thin ledge that a customer must balance it on. On the other hand, the main plate stands on a thicker ledge and this allows for a more insistent movement as this is often the stage in which a customer may need something fairly quickly, such as a missing spoon for a quickly cooling bowl of soup. As people are often in a hurry to leave, the final part of the process enables for a smooth transaction with the dessert plate featuring a slot in the top in which the receipt can be placed once the plate is stood.
Through my plates, I intend for the restaurant experience and complex power dynamics which lie within it to be navigated smoothly and comfortably for both waiting staff and customers.
