Gabrielle Constantine shifts domestic objects into exterior space, exploring how that inversion can reveal the values embedded in them. By using one material to represent another, the artist interrogates our ideas of taste and how deeply they connect to our socioeconomic and cultural identities. 

In this work, a long Persian rug made of wood, not wool, embraces the courtyard’s central tree. What used to be an object made for the floor now becomes a dining surface, suddenly transforming the courtyard into a dynamic gathering space. Square sandbag chairs upholstered in blue tarpaulin and Tyvek offer seating around the table and reference the floral, vinyl-covered couch in her grandmother’s home. Red caged lights are sprinkled throughout the tree’s branches suggesting pomegranates ripened for feasting.

Operating as a blank canvas, the furniture activates the space, welcoming people to engage in new and unexpected ways. They could enjoy lunch, have dinner parties, extend conversations after critique, or even dance upon the tabletop. Drawing on her own experience growing up and working in the restaurant industry, Constantine addresses how community is often created in non-traditional and non-hierarchical ways.