To explore how people interact in today’s modern age, French artist Shani Ha has installed an interactive exhibit in New York City.
Titled ‘Table For Two’, it consists of a table placed inside and outside of a corner bistro, split by a window. The restaurant is located at the corner of 7th Avenue and Carmine Street.
A chair, a teacup and a candle are laid out on the outdoor table, inviting passers-by to stop and engage with the person on the other side of the window.
When two people are together, they may choose to look at each other or occupy themselves with other activities. When a solitary individual sits at the table, they face their reflection or observe other people going about their lives. Experienced alone, the table offers one an opportunity for introspection and to embrace their solitariness.
Part social experiment and part wry observation of human interaction in a digital world, it questions our attitudes towards relationships and plays with the concept of public space at once.
“I’m from Paris and living in New York forces me to interact with people I love the most through computer screens. I find it really fascinating to see how we can be so connected to people who are so far away and yet so disconnected from people who directly surround us,” explained Hani.
The exhibit will remain till 8 March, 2015, and if you’re in the area consider dropping by to check it out.
[via My Modern Met, Junk Culture and Domus, images via Shani Ha]