Traditional Palestinian houses have a separate room that is reserved for entertaining guests. This room is called the Madafah and is an addition to the main house. People entering the Madafah are at ease and in the mood for socializing. There are props in the Madafah that contribute to this phenomenon, namely a Mihbaj which serves as both a coffee grinder and percussion instrument, while the host completes the Mise-en-scène.

To recreate the Madafah in a western, work centered society, I placed a cubicle in the city center, while we posed as office workers. Upon entering the cubicle, people automatically felt at ease; as if it were a psychologists couch. People began socializing and sharing their lives with us and joined our team of “pretend” workers, playing along with our fake telephone and computer.

My theory is that people have difficulty socializing in western cultures unless it is work related. By placing a work related object in the public space I created a “safe zone” for people to socialize and/or network without feeling awkward. Perhaps, if you are pretending to work, you don’t feel like you are wasting time by socializing.

Created by Jeffrey Andreoni On 02/12/09 At 01:08 PM