We all create traditions in our own homes; we learn and teach our children to communicate and value table manners and food. The less secure our surroundings become, the more precious our bonds with our loved ones and the more important the role of the people we gather around us become. The time spent together, the stories that are shared and the home traditions all help in the continuation of the traditions and maintaining values. 

The emotional value of the dishes we use to set the party table remind us of our loved ones. What conversations, special occasions and good food could a service set, a glass bowl or a sugar bowl have witnessed? Over the years, some of the items may have gained scratches and marks that indicate that the dishes were buried in the garden before deportation during World War II and then dug out of hiding again when the family came back. 

Recent studies have shown that Estonian families gather around the common dinner table less and less frequently. The consumer society and the online world are taking us further away from live interaction, but building relationships and a sense of belonging has a big impact on mental wellbeing. Eating and spending time together at the table unites us; by setting the table, we create values that last. 

Lovely memories inspire new generations to organise get-togethers. To mark special occasions, family heirlooms are brought out of the cupboard and in one way or another the family gathers around the table again. The bridge of time seems to connect different generations. 

‘Dinner is served!’ introduces the viewer to the table set for a celebration. The exhibition brings together the thirties and eighties of the last century and the present time. The tableware on display comes from the collections of the Tallinn City Museum, the Estonian National Museum, the Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design, the Samovar House and Priidu Nõmm as well as from private collections. 

Photographs from the collections of the Tallinn City Museum, the Estonian National Museum, the Tartu Art Museum, Riga Porcelain museum of Latvia and the Art Museum of Estonia complement the exhibition. In addition, the exhibition includes photos of party tables from the albums of past and present citizens of Tallinn from the aforementioned decades. The exhibition is illustrated by interviews with people in whose lives tableware plays a special role. 

Exhibition curator: Kristina Madisson-Laht 
Technical assistance for the exhibition: Karoli Loo 
Artist of the exhibition: Merike Tamm 

Execution team: Merike Tamm (design, GD, props), Joonas Parve (construction), Jaanika Jüris (design, construction, props), Luise Sommer (lighting) 

More info in the link: https://www.meelikyttim.com/Linnamuuseum/N%C3%A4itus-Palume-lauda/n-95G8Gn