DabbleTending the Us
An immersive dinner that makes everyday acts of ecological and social reciprocity visible and shared.
The need
We’re trained to consume — to take without noticing. The quiet, continuous labor of tending, to ecosystems and to each other, stays invisible, so the reciprocity that actually sustains us never gets felt or practiced.
The approach
Julia designed an experience that makes tending visible and participatory. Guests don’t arrive as diners; they arrive as tenders. A grounding ritual, light-up constellation cards, and a simple rule — taking food means taking a “receipt” to reflect on the tending you’ve already practiced — turn a meal into a felt lesson in reciprocity.
- Participatory design and ritual design
- Foraging as a method, not just an ingredient
- Behavioral nudges and storytelling
The artifact
A piloted immersive dinner, supported by a picture book, a France–California recipe exchange, and biodegradable planters made from Stanford dining-hall eggshell waste — so the reciprocity continues after the table is cleared.
Why it matters
Tending the Us takes an abstract value — reciprocity — and makes it something you can taste, hold, and carry home, turning guests into people who notice the tending all around them.
“The experience made the impact of my consumption feel visible instead of abstract.”
Guest, Tending the Us
