Travelling Dinner Ta(b)les, Academy of Margins, Topolò, 2023

The Traveling Dinner Table settled in Topolò for a week, serving as a gathering point for the micro-landscape’s tales, its residents, and the recollections of those who came together during that special week. The table provided the surface for cleaning ivy leaves for making laundry detergent, wrapping dolmades, and kneading dough to make dumplings and pierogies. We immersed ourselves in Topolò — exploring its spaces, uncovering hidden corners, engaging with the local community, and grasping the significance of its location on the border.

We unfolded, observed and gathered greens like Dandelions, Maidenstears, Pellitory of the Wall, and Plantain. Honey was harvested by Aljaz, and we carried vine leaves upwards to Izba in a basket carrier. These ingredients intertwined with our personal food memories, weaving a vibrant tapestry of diverse narratives that converged around this communal table. The traveling table itself embodied the essence of the margins, a continuously evolving ‘home’ characterized by the fluidity of transitions, continuously mirroring the ever-changing landscapes it traverses and the stories of those who briefly gather around it.