Iman Tajik

Border Sharing Dinner

Iman Tajik - Border Sharing Dinner 2021.

Videography: Rachel McBrinn, Wild food chef: Judith Lamb

Iman Tajik - Border Sharing Dinner 2021 , Second Sitting

Videography: Rachel McBrinn, Wild food chef: Judith Lamb

Border Sharing Dinner

A public sharing of food across a temporary border line on Portobello Promenade, Edinburgh. Commissioned by Art Walk Projects as part of Iman Tajik's 2021 'Welcome to Portobello' Residency.

Iman Tajik's Border Sharing Dinner is a poignant performance and installation piece that delves into themes of migration, borders, and communal identity. In this work, the simple act of sharing a meal becomes a powerful metaphor for the human cost of division. During the dinner, a physical line is drawn down the center of the table — a border that guests are not allowed to cross. They cannot pass food, speak to, or interact with the person sitting directly opposite them. What should be a space of connection becomes one of quiet separation.

By introducing this imposed boundary, Tajik transforms an everyday social ritual into a staged experience of exclusion and control. The piece mirrors how political borders disrupt lives and relationships, turning the familiar into something alien and uneasy. This silent but enforced restriction underscores the arbitrary yet deeply impactful nature of borders in both physical and emotional terms.

Border Sharing Dinner aligns with Tajik's broader practice, which consistently challenges power structures and highlights the lived realities of migration. Through participatory installations and performances, he creates spaces that confront the viewer with uncomfortable truths, inviting empathy, dialogue, and reflection on belonging, movement, and the right to share space.

Poetry 'Bani Adam' (Persia) from Saadi Shirazi's book the 'Gulistan' (chapter 1, story 10, completed in 1258 AD) - spoken by Jane Lewis. Food - Judith Lamb. Videography - Rachel McBrinn.