lunch break friends
2026
Socially-engaged project
Commissioned by gmtc-golden monkey trading company 金猿商社
Numerous used napkins from 3 lunch sessions, 273 invitation emails sent to art workers in and near Manhattan Chinatown, New York

lunch break friends is a social exercise that creates temporary lunchtime encounters between arts workers and restaurant workers in Manhattan Chinatown. Chinatown and its surrounding neighborhoods are a workplace and a home for both arts workers and restaurant workers. Although the two communities often share the same streets, they rarely form sustained relationships with one another.

Recognizing that some assistance is needed to navigate linguistic and cultural barriers, Liu invited a group of local bilingual Chinatown arts workers to take on the role of mediators, and invited as many arts workers in and near Chinatown as she could to participate. For the mediated sessions on June 17 and June 26, participants who signed up were paired with a mediator, who will bring them to neighborhood lunch spots that they frequent and have built relationships with through their daily routines. Mediators will guide participants through the experience of ordering, eating, and sharing a meal together, while facilitating conversation, introductions, and informal social exchange.

On June 22, gmtc host an open lunch hour in its space, extending the invitation to fellow arts workers and welcoming workers and neighbors in the 210 Canal St building.

午休时间的朋友
2026
社会性参与项目
由gmtc-golden monkey trading company 金猿商社委托
若干参与者用过的餐巾纸，273封发给纽约唐人街周边的艺术工作者的邀请邮件

午休时间的朋友（lunch break friends）是一项以午休为契机的社会实践，在午餐时段促进曼哈顿唐人街的艺术工作者与餐饮业工作者的关系。唐人街及其周边既是艺术工作者的工作场所，也是餐饮业工作者的工作场所与生活社区。尽管这两个群体长期共享同一片街区，却鲜少建立持续性的社交联系。

考虑到语言与文化上可能存在的隔阂，刘思典邀请了一群活跃于唐人街的双语艺术工作者担任“引路人”，并向唐人街及周边地区的艺术工作者发出邀请，参与这一项目。参与者报名后，思典会将他们与离他们最近的引路人配对，引路人在6月17日与6月26日带领他们前往自己常去的唐人街餐馆，陪伴参与者完成点餐、用餐、结账等整个午餐过程，在这个过程中彼此交流、介绍餐馆工作人员与参与者认识，并引导轻松自然的社交互动。

6月22日，午休时间的朋友在金猿商社开展了一场开放午餐（open lunch hour），邀请周边的艺术工作者和金门大厦里的工作者一起在金猿商社吃午饭。