Tantalus Dinner is a project, where I managed to recreate a different version of the Last Supper. I created a ceramic tableware set by casting myself and invited twelve men to sit around the table and eat from my own body. Ceramic objects are often related to rituals, because they bare a remarkable resemblance to the purity and smoothness of the human flesh.
This work is named after Tantalus, the king from an ancient Greek myth who cut his son into pieces and offered them to the gods. By casting myself, I copy, dismantle and offer parts of myself, to my guests, in order to provoke new, unusual relationships between the maker and the user.
The table has a torso shape, while each of the twelve stools has a different shape to follow and frame the outline of the table. Just as the body was cut into pieces, the stools were cut as if they came from the same piece of wood that made the table.
At the beginning of the dinner the vessels were filled with red food and placed in random order on the table. My guests had to eat everything on the plates in order to turn them upside down and place each one in the right place to complete the circle by reconstructing the body.
The ceramic pieces have a human texture – ‘goose pimples’ - on them. I managed to capture that texture by leaving ice cubes to melt while I was casting my self. The result is not only visible but also you can feel it when you hold the piece. That tactile experience was one of the main reasons why my guests didn't use any cutlery
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