Drafts in WHITE
Pass the Salt
Issue 11
March 2025
By Dana Harel
My grandmother told me never eat your hard-boiled egg without salt—it will give you bad luck.
When I was recently invited to co-host an in-studio brunch with creatives and friends, my mind immediately went to the story I wanted to tell around our sensory experiences related to the way we eat. Similar to my creative process, my inspirations for the brunch started with a range of indirect resources.
In Eating Architecture, a book that explores the intersection between food and space, I'm fascinated by the concept of "table rules"—where food and architecture converge—and how these cultural practices have transformed. I reflected on how these customs evolved and how artists and designers have shaped them into highly personal formal languages. I knew that I wanted to loosen common table rules.
The table is both a stage and a canvas–first it appears as an orderly setup, but after consumption the table is left with a chaotic aftermath of leftovers, stains, and trails of migrating foodstuff. Ancient Roman mosaic floors effectively portray the fleeting and dramatic nature of their over-the-top banquets. They often depict the scattered remains of a meal—walnut and crustacean shells alongside fish bones and olives—all at the feet of the diners.
These inspirations remind me that connection and creativity often come from embracing spontaneity and the willingness to let things unfold haphazardly, both in food and in life. Gathering guests around my work table—a space where both art and meals come together— the brunch was an opportunity to share my personal stories and influences that reveal a different side of the maker in me.
Many thanks to Rimma Boshernitsan, the instigator and co-host of this gathering at White Dirt studio. Her work as the founder of In Dialogue, focuses on building genuine connections and meaningful narratives, which was the essence of our event.
And much gratitude to Hila Kariv for brainstorming our meal with me.
Drafts in WHITE are bimonthly notes from our studio – inspirations, illuminations, and cultural explorations.
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Images:
Brunch by Soon Tani Beccaria Mochizuki;
sketch by Dana Harel;
Roman murals from Aquileia, Italy and Château de Boudry, France