30 Days of Dinner Time, Day 28

In the window, Lauren and her girlfriend Ashley. The three of us had never met aside from brief exchanges on facebook earlier in the month about our mutual love for pet rats. They found out about the piece through an acquaintance of theirs who is a friend of mine. They also signed up for the night of the closing reception which was located inside the gallery owner's storefront studio space, a space that is typically quiet and isolated. In addition to their conversation being less personal, I spent most of the time inside while their dinner happened... allowing passers by to encounter the piece without my inviting albeit watchful eye.

For dinner they brought a combination of food purchased at a nearby restaurant: sandwich and hotdog, Hispanic pastries and nesquick flavored milk. Having taken in a few strawberries from the reception spread, I believe this is the first time I inadvertently (and gladly) contributed to the objects in the space.

This day was a whirlwind from my vantage point, and anyone who has thrown a reception for their own work knows exactly what I mean. Typically the nightly dinner time is the highlight of my evening, or at least demands a great amount of attention. Because of the party, the dinner felt more like deja vu. When I was outside with them it made me miss being out there, but it also made me aware of the people I could be talking with inside. The extrovert in me ruled the day, for better or worse.

It was beautiful to see how the dinner changed because of the party. Teenagers who have been skate boarding across the street all month finally came over to see what was going on. Lauren and Ashley beckoned me through yells to come out and watch the boys perform jumps on the sidewalk. People who have been reading about the piece online were able to see it for the first time and participants returned to celebrate.

Lauren and Ashley were the perfect pair to put in the window on a day that preoccupied my responsibilities... it seemed like they had fun with the piece and really contributed a good presence to the party. Their demeanor and posture helped with the artfulness of the night, as well as the fluidity of participating with life, inside and outside the window.

All in all, the reception was a great evening filled with old and new friends. Still two more days before the end, but the air of "wrapping things up" is all around. I'll hold off on the goodbye words other than to say how pleasing it was to look back with others on all this piece has and will accomplish.