The Atlas Obscured Collection’s International Luncheon showcases the potential for meaningful conversations inspired by the historical significance of capital cities, like Washington DC, Moscow, Kyiv, and many others represented in this extraordinary gathering of dining chairs. Through four distinct layers of city maps, Creative Director, Ted Galante, creates a latticework of meaningful narrative within each piece, speaking to the evolution of each place through centuries of time.
Guests were invited to sit in chairs representing capital cities from around the world. As occupants of each chair speak from the voice of that city, a person sitting in Tehran’s chair speaks from the viewpoint of Iran, while the person sitting in Paris represents the standpoint of France, and Beijing’s occupant joins the discussion from the perspective of China, and so on.
To gather these cities at a table that values the historical context of each place, Galante offers space to seek common ground through an invitation to explore, perhaps, unfamiliar perspectives during a time of current geopolitical upheaval. Galante, believes, "If everyone could sit in these chairs and speak from the voice of that place, my hope is that we understand each other better and end a lot of the conflict caused by a lack of understanding. Maybe then we can focus with renewed optimism... I think the world needs to be a more optimistic place and this is one way of critiquing that, talking about it, and offering that space."
Each chair is made with historical city maps representing inflection points of the city’s evolution. When one occupies these chairs, they're presented an opportunity to acknowledge the city’s unique story; to broaden one’s understanding through a new and potentially challenging viewpoint. This represents a vision of unity by bringing together our distinct experiences; to sit for a time together in conversation, encouraging everyone to experience the challenges and diverse perspectives of others within the greater context of historical meaning.
