No spare wheels. A dinner invitation

Abstract

We are delighted to invite you to "No Spare Wheels," an intimate and humorous dinner party performance where specially designed utensils reveal the hidden mechanics of everyday gestures and their evolution. There's just one small request: please leave your thumb at home. Bon appétit! The thumb enables us not only to use and manipulate objects, but also to represent and write about them. It forms the foundation of communication and creation. What would our daily lives look like without the opposable thumb—without that simple yet essential gesture of gripping? No Spare Wheels is a warm and engaging performance featuring a collection of specially designed objects that help us forget the thumb entirely. This playful, participatory project invites us to reconsider our relationship with our bodies, the objects that surround us, and our connections with others. The dinner is served family-style, with each course presented for the entire table. Before eating, one or two guests take the initiative to serve the food using the special serving utensils. Once everyone is served, the meal begins, and each guest can choose to experience this fictional scenario using the custom utensil set. Ultimately, No Spare Wheels is a compilation of diverse anecdotes and intimate stories gathered throughout the development of this project. This collection weaves together varied experiences, emotions, and ideas, creating an archive of alternative knowledge. By documenting these narratives, this unexpected collection offers insights that challenge mainstream perspectives and celebrate the richness of lived experience.