“Place Setting” is a performance with an assembly of golden straw paper, used in place settings in dining experiences, folded into a dimensional herringbone pattern, a motif found in Rome’s brick foundation. The object is a burden as a heavy but delicate responsibility, a shield as it is armor that protects, a cover as a long and warm blanket, and a barrier that creates physical distance between. I carried it through the Imperial Forum of Rome, Italy. This was a laborious task as the wind whipped the object and the summer sun beat down on my shoulders. “Place setting” is a reflection upon materials that composed a variety of barriers in the city during the Covid-19 pandemic, including plastic, fabric, language, and space. Although these materials offer protection and aid survival, they also often prevent social development and relationship formation. “Place setting” enacted this contradiction as I was able to physically experience the simultaneous need for it as a protective mechanism and the exhaustive strain of commitment to the object. I did my best to care for the object as it was caring for me.