Bisect, 2016
The House Life Project at 818 N Tacoma Avenue
2' x 40', pine, screws, finish nails.
I constructed a table that bisects the the length of the house, beginning on the front porch, traveling through interior rooms, and continuing outside through the back wall. It connects interior and exterior spaces, both dividing and joining these spaces. It links the private activity on the inside of the home with the public space of the front porch and the semi-public back yard. This table, like any table, is a site waiting for activation, embedded with potential for activity or conversation.
"The banquet table and coffee counter bring people together in an intimate and private social fashion--people who would not otherwise meet in that way" -Ray Oldenburg, The Great Good Place
Specifically, this table is a replica of the same table I eat at, read at, work at when I'm at home, but stretched to fit the length of this house. It's a table my great-grandfather built; the construction is simple and the materials are humble. I measured my original, noted the construction elements, and derived this 40' long table from the one my great-grandfather built.
My grandma passed my table along to me; the same grandma who moved with my grandpa to Indianapolis, and settled on the Near Eastside in the 40s. They--along with my other set of grandparents--are how I ended up here. The table I made for 818 Tacoma continues to welcome neighbors and visitors to gather, share, and stay awhile.
The House Life Project at 818 N Tacoma Avenue
2' x 40', pine, screws, finish nails.
I constructed a table that bisects the the length of the house, beginning on the front porch, traveling through interior rooms, and continuing outside through the back wall. It connects interior and exterior spaces, both dividing and joining these spaces. It links the private activity on the inside of the home with the public space of the front porch and the semi-public back yard. This table, like any table, is a site waiting for activation, embedded with potential for activity or conversation.
"The banquet table and coffee counter bring people together in an intimate and private social fashion--people who would not otherwise meet in that way" -Ray Oldenburg, The Great Good Place
Specifically, this table is a replica of the same table I eat at, read at, work at when I'm at home, but stretched to fit the length of this house. It's a table my great-grandfather built; the construction is simple and the materials are humble. I measured my original, noted the construction elements, and derived this 40' long table from the one my great-grandfather built.
My grandma passed my table along to me; the same grandma who moved with my grandpa to Indianapolis, and settled on the Near Eastside in the 40s. They--along with my other set of grandparents--are how I ended up here. The table I made for 818 Tacoma continues to welcome neighbors and visitors to gather, share, and stay awhile.