We have shared bread and salt
Opening and Awards Night >
Friday 6 September 2024, 6 to 8PM
6 September > 24 November 2024
Opening and Awards Night >
Friday 6 September 2024, 6 to 8PM
6 September > 24 November 2024
We have shared bread and salt is an Ancient Greek proverb which speaks of the ancient custom of
welcoming strangers and expressing gratitude, friendship and trust
through the act of eating. Today, like in Ancient Greece, the humble dining table is more than just a piece of furniture; it is a
cornerstone of connection, community, and culture. It's around the dining table that we tell our stories: we debrief, download, debate,
feast, celebrate, laugh, come together to break bread with the people we know, the people we love, and the people who might be thrust upon
us. The dining table is both the centre of the home and a growing site for doing business, a symbol of family connecting and conflict and
for the occasional solo frozen dinner.
From intimate moments shared with family to lively exchanges with friends and colleagues, the table is a symbol of unity and togetherness.
It serves as a nexus for human connection, cultural exchange, nourishment, and the sharing of a diversity of perspectives. We have
shared bread and salt
invites creatives to take the concept of the dining table as a starting point to explore how design creates environments that facilitate
meaningful conversations and build stronger communities. How it plays a pivotal role in shaping, enhancing and guiding meaningful
interactions. We are looking for work that can throw new light on and reinterpret a piece of functional furniture that’s been bringing
people together since, well, forever?
This year's exhibition celebrates the role of design in fostering togetherness. It highlights the power of the table as a gathering place,
inspiring new forms of connection and understanding, and highlighting the vibrant intersections of culture, conversation and food.
This exhibition is presented in partnership with Melbourne Fringe.
Project Partners:
IMAGE > David Musch, CONTENTION, LED Screen Panels, Cabling , 95 x 200 x 200cm. Courtesy of the artist.
> Georgia Cromarty, UNTITLED WOVEN PLACEMATS, Raffia, 85 x 65 x 1cm. Courtesy of the artist. > (3-4) Opening of Design Fringe
2023. Photographs: J Forsyth. > Courtesy of Phong Chi Lai. > Design Fringe Tactile Tour, 2023. Photograph: Shelley Xue.