Experience: Party of One
Senior Capstone
When people spend the time and money to go out to a restaurant for dinner, they seldom go alone and if they do, they are most likely accompanied by their phones. This practice is telling of our societal addiction to connection and fear of aloneness, an uncomfortable but necessary experience. What started as a simple idea to introduce solo dining as a normal practice became an exploration of what it means to spend time truly alone.
Fourteen “parties of one” RSVP’d to eat alone, together. Upon their arrival, they were asked to turn in their phones and spend the next two hours eating, reading, observing, and reflecting.
Following the dinner, guests were interviewed about their experience and asked if they would make a reservation at a restaurant for a “party of one” and commit to spending that time off their phones.
Other materials for Party of One include printed cards, a website, and a video about aloneness. Visit joinpartyofone.com to learn more about the project.
Planned and designed with Nicole Chen.
Duration: 9 weeks
Programs: Adobe Creative Suite
Advisor: Kristine Matthews
Spring 2018
The visual style is inspired by bright, friendly, welcoming restaurant atmospheres. We also created stickers to sell to help offset the cost of the dinner and to remind people to spend some time alone.
The dinner consisted of five courses, each representing different ideas around eating alone.
Guests were given cards that provided “food for thought.”
Phones were turned in at the beginning and returned in a phone bag for future use.
Party of One was featured in the UW School of Design’s 2018 Design Show
