“The Art of Dining” displays over 200 pieces relating to the art and culture surrounding food in the Islamic world, originating in countries in the Middle East and Asia as early as the third century. From dishes, glassware, cookbooks and cloth napkins, the DIA has put together a fully immersive exhibit that is not just about viewing artwork, but fully experiencing an ancient culture from a new perspective.
I have visited the DIA many times and seen several of their temporary exhibits as they pop up, but what struck me the most about this one was the care put into mimicking the environment a traditional Islamic dining room would have. My favorite part of the experience were the scent boxes containing the perfumes used in dining rooms of the time: rose and orange blossom. The small touch added another dimension to the exhibit and made it feel much more personal.
Beyond this, the exhibit dedicated rooms to the clothing worn and even the music that would be played during a meal. QR codes hung throughout the showrooms, taking viewers to traditional recipes online to try at home; every piece of the showrooms built on one another.
As I walked through each of the showrooms, it felt impossible to imagine what I saw as part of daily life. Every glass dish and woven napkin was handmade with so much detail and intricacy. Also shown were metal or stone canteens, a very far cry from the water bottles we carry around today.
With all this in mind, it’s important to understand that this exhibit focuses on the wealthier side of Islamic dining culture–specifically within royal courts–and there wasn’t much done to portray how food looked for the lower classes of the time period. When digested through that lens, though, the exhibit is extremely effective in meeting its goals.
“The Art of Dining” speaks for itself, and the care evident in the works displayed shows how important food was to those living in the Middle East and Asia in the early centuries, a fact clearly significant to the understanding of the art. This exhibit has a home at the DIA through Jan. 5 and is free for residents of Wayne, Macomb and Oakland counties. If the opportunity presents itself, it’s definitely worth the trip downtown.
