TURNING THE TABLE TABLETOPS & TABLE TALK Photo : Jacques Lessard With its beautiful place settings, tasteful decorations, good manners, accomplished gestures, and seating of guests, the table conceals a world of passion, emotion, and feeling. The Turning the Tables exhibition presented by Musée de la civilisation from March 21, 2001 to March 31, 2002 explores this friendly universe. Visitors will recognize dinner scenes familiar to them as they view the show, but will also discover the history and dynamics of this time of sharing known as the meal. The exhibition presents the table in an innovative and perhaps theatrical way using an imaginative, contemporary design. The tabletops are the trappings we see—the decor, the gestures, the rituals, the ambiance. The table talk is what's underneath—emotional confrontations, the wielding of a certain power… The installation, created by Antoine Laprise, evokes this social play with humor. Photo : Jacques Lessard From table to table As visitors enter, a multipurpose table reminds them that the table was once used for a number of things—work, play, meals. The four tables that follow are set with magnificent place settings and accessories that reflect their various uses: a family table, a center of social upbringing and “mind your table manners!”; a business lunch, where politics, money, and power come to dine; a 19th century middle-class table, where good manners and systemized refinement are in vogue; and a romantic table with fine glassware, candlesticks, and an intimate atmosphere conducive to love and romance. At the end is a modern table, presented as a video document, that leads us to question table friendliness. Displays of objects complement the tables and integrate the historic content associated with the art of the table. Visitors can also learn table trivia, notably that the fork was introduced in France by Catherine de Medicis at the table of Henry III, who tucked a napkin in around his collar to protect his starched, fluted ruff. Photo : Jacques Lessard A remarkable collection The Turning the Tables exhibition is a wonderful opportunity to discover near 700 items from among some 7,000 objects in the Musée de la civilisation collection related to the art of the table. Among the notable pieces on display are a porcelain dinnerware set with a Latona pattern in 22 carat gold leaf that belonged to Maurice Duplessis (1955) and a six-setting, hand-painted, fine porcelain dinnerware set given to Quebec lieutenant governor Sir Adolphe Chapleau by American president Hayes (1880). In addition to these exceptional items, more china, cutlery, tea services, glasses, vases, candlesticks, an egg slicer (Tiffany, 1897), tablecloths, and napkins are also presented. An interactive game challenges you to identify unique objects from the museum's collection. Turning the Tables is at the Musée de la civilisation from March 21, 2001 to March 31, 2002. An exhibition that delights, amuses, and gives you the urge to fill up those glasses and plates with a thousand and one things for a veritable feast of fine food and drink! Presented by the ministère de l'Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l'Alimentation du Québec in collaboration with Société des alcools du Québec. Informations: Serge Poulin, [418] 643-2158 Relations publiques et communications Issued : March 20, 2001 © Musée de la civilisation