A Seat at The Table

Who is welcomed to the table?

Who is ignored?

Who must resort to the creation of their own seat at the table?

Using the wood from his childhood home's backyard, Man builds his own seat at the table in front of his installation: "Dinner Table Syndrome" - the title of his painting used as a table cloth.

The painting represents the phenomenon in which Deaf or hard of hearing individuals are perpetually left out of conversations due to communication barriers or language inaccessibility. Though dinnertime is often a celebrated location of connection, the occasion can be easily exhausting for my community when surrounded by only hearing individuals.

The installation also features carved chairs and a custom dinner table set corresponding to the carvings on the chairs.

This live performance was a part of the 1969 Gallery exhibition, Pure Joy, featuring 14 disabled visual and performance artists - curated by Chella Man.