How happy would you be if your all your stuff kept on eating themselves and consequently disappearing? Like, you build a house, and then one random Tuesday you drive home to a plot of land with all of your belongings on it. Or in the afternoon your pants have eaten its way into shorts, and by the evening you’re ready to go swimming. And your homework! What if your homework ate itself? Atema Architecture certainly thinks that decomposing stuff is an environment-friendly alternative, and has made this auto-cannibalistic table as proof.
The table is made from egg cartons and wheatpaste glue, which is basically flour mixed with water. Then there’s space for plants on the table. The idea is that people will eat on the table, and the plants will eat the table. Seriously. I didn’t know that plants loved egg cartons. Hopefully the table lasts long enough for people to finish eating.
The auto-cannibalistic table was part of the recently concluded InDisposed exhibition in New York city, an exhibit that explored the idea of making disposable items that “have some redeeming social value”, such as a table that eats itself, prompting the owner to buy a new one every 3 weeks, which leads to additional costs, prompting the owner to diet to save enough money to buy another table. I see. It all makes sense now.