Dinner with Dali
This tablescape is inspired by the mind of Salvador Dalí (1904–1989), the Spanish surrealist best known for his dreamlike imagery, melting clocks, and bizarre visual juxtapositions. Active throughout the early to mid-20th century, Dalí’s paintings, like The Persistence of Memory (1931) and The Elephants (1948), invite viewers into a world where logic dissolves and the subconscious takes over.
But Dalí’s surrealism wasn’t limited to canvas - he also brought it to the dinner table. In the 1940s and ’50s, alongside his wife and muse Gala, Dalí hosted elaborate, otherworldly dinner parties. Costumed guests, theatrical menus, and elaborate table settings turned each meal into a performance, blurring the boundary between art and life.
This table channels that same spirit of decadence and distortion, with a menu inspired by Dalí’s 1973 surrealist cookbook, Les Dîners de Gala - an eccentric tribute to indulgence and imagination.
Materials & Sources
🕰️Table Setting
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Tablecloth: Hand-dyed drop cloth
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Green Ceramic Plates: Thrifted, customized with DIY vinyl decals
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Faux Wood Chargers: Thrifted
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Napkins: Purchased from Amazon
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Napkin Rings: DIY polymer clay rings featuring vintage watch faces (sourced from eBay)
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Mix & Match Silverware: Curated collection from Etsy
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Crystal Glassware: Thrifted
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Silver Serving Dishes: Thrifted
🦞 Surrealist Decor
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Melting Clocks: DIY with polymer clay, vinyl decals, and working clock mechanisms
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Bust Statue: Sourced from my personal collection
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Toy Tiger: Michael’s Arts & Crafts
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Conch Shell: HomeGoods
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Crawfish Tower: Crawfish replicas (Amazon), DIY sculpted tower
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Lobster Telephone: Vintage telephone and lobster (both eBay), lobster custom painted
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Oysters with Clocks: Oyster shells (eBay), vintage watch faces (eBay), faux pearls (previously owned)
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Candlesticks: Thrifted
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Floating Egg: Sourced from eBay
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Floating Hand: Sourced from my personal collection
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Frame: Thrifted
🌀Backdrop
I built the backdrop myself, starting with a wood frame and project panel, then sculpted the tree using cardboard, adding texture with joint compound. The background is hand painted to echo The Persistence of Memory. The melting clock hanging from the branch is made from polymer clay with functioning clock parts. To bring it all together, I extended the hand-dyed drop cloth from the table to the ground beneath the tree, blending the backdrop into the tablescape.
Artworks Referenced
About Me
Mary Kenny, First Time Tablescaper
This is my first time entering the LA County Fair’s tablescaping competition, and it’s been such a joy to bring this surrealist challenge to life. I’ve enjoyed sharing the creative process behind this table on TikTok and Instagram - you can follow along or see more of my work @verymaryk.
With a background in theater, design, and over a decade of live event production experience in New York and Los Angeles, I’m passionate about crafting immersive, story-driven experiences—whether on set or at the dinner table.
In my free time, you can find me thrifting and DIYing! My rental-friendly apartment makeover was recently featured in The Los Angeles Times.
