The Futurist movement, which was founded by the Italian poet and impresario
F. T. Marinetti in 1909, grew to encompass every mode of creative expression—
poetry, sculpture, ;lm, fashion, even typography and ceramics—before vanishing
with his death in 1944. For our banquet, Karen created a vaudevillian laboratory
theme by drawing on the Futurist ;xations she found most inspiring—unexpected
elements and bright colors, unusual textures, variations on scale and, of course,
gastronomical cunning—all united by her signature touch: an obsessive attention
to detail. “Dinner guests have to stay seated for a long time,” she explains. “I wanted
every single thing their eyes fell on to be a surprise.”
Dry goods with interesting shapes
;nd their way into edible decor.
These are destined for wall panels.
Tropical plants in violent colors from
the ;ower district in Manhattan enliven
the table (and Karen’s party updo).
DELICATE DISHARMONIES
Karen made this wire and papier-mâché “couch potato” to hold the salt
& vinegar chips (part of dessert).
Gold paper decoupage extends
the triangle theme found on the
invitations, napkins, and candlesticks.
Karen mottled store-bought fabric
napkins with bleach before adding
linocut prints and fabric paint.
The folding pattern is from an old
book and results in more triangles.
Mummi;ed in ribbon, an
inexpensive ;oor lamp becomes an
enchanted, illuminated forest.
PLAYS ON PERCEPTION
Peanuts in a painted maple syrup
bottle look organic—but are actually
plastic.
Purple sashes on each chair serve as
seat markers and blindfolds for the
“skewers of strange tastes” course.
The anti-Caesar salad to wer is made
of plaster-covered cardboard and
plastic wedding-cake columns.
For her necklace, Karen treated a
vintage shirt collar with glues and
resins, then gold-leafed it (really).
One paper cup, four paper plates, a
paper towel roll, and a dollar-store
vase become a candy platter.
SYNGUSTATORY SANGUINITY
The entrée is a meat loaf wedding
cake (recipe, not construction,
courtesy of Ann Landers).
“Icing” the base with mashed
potatoes, Parmesan cheese,
mascarpone, and food coloring.
The centerpieces are ;lled with
random candies, fruits, and veggies
so diners can snack between courses.
A geodesic dome of ice-cream cones
nods to retro architectural progress.
Vegetables were chosen for their
colors and shapes. Here, turnips
mingle with eggplants and radishes.
1 month out A;er nailing down a date and securing
a friend’s apartment, we mailed out the invita;ons,
which proved to be the biggest challenge of the en;re
produc;on: It was genuinely painful to limit the guest
list to only 20 people, and I’m not exaggera;ng when I
say friendships were damaged.
two weeks out As Karen holed away in her studio
making the table se;ngs and decor, I taste-tested salt &
vinegar potato chips (the winner: Trader Joe’s brand) and
calculated drink ra;os: 15 bo;les of wine for 20 people
turned out to be exactly right; 40 bo;les of seltzer is about
25 too many (I have no idea what I was thinking).
3 weeks out At this point the menu was the
least of our worries. First, Karen had to scour
the city for materials as I anxiously juggled the
RSVP list and rued the day I was born.
one week out Not owning a car demanded we strategize about shopping and
arrange for deliveries of heavy supplies like drinks and ice. To spare ourselves
the hassle of actually cooking, we started to organize the menu around low
to no-prep foods: raw vegetables and fruits, boxed soups, frozen ready-made
appe;zers, all manner of nuts, snacks, and candies.
