Robert Irwin once asked: “How do I break the frame?” He was reflecting on the moment his practice shifted from two-dimensional paintings to spatial, light-based work. His question has influenced my work as I look to break frames that define how people gather, communicate, and experience life.
For me, the “frame” signifies prescribed convention. Polite small talk between strangers. Societal expectations that dictate how we enter a space. Expectations we bring as we attend events and participate in group settings.
My dinners look to break frames that have defined the traditional dinner party. With subtle interventions that help participants move past small talk and into meaningful dialogue, I believe that the intentional arrangement of a place, the symbolism of objects, and the act of serving and sharing food can challenge typical conventions of hospitality.
Through my dinners, I experiment with ways to encourages guests to step beyond expected boundaries. Whether through a seating arrangement, unexpected venues, or carefully curated prompts, I look for tools that can break expected patterns of social interaction and give permission for participants to step outside formal roles and encounter the world in a new way, even for a moment.
“Breaking the frame” isn’t about destruction. This is an opening. It is an invitation to see differently and to connect differently. This is one of the pillars of my practice: A thoughtful space has the potential to shape how people encounter each other, themselves, and the world around them.
