On May 7th, to celebrate the inauguration of the new Kemmler Foundation in Berlin, we orchestrated “Everything Starts From Within”, a banquet as a space and time for communal invention. 

’Everything Starts From Within’ was inspired by visionary author Ursula K. Le Guin’s “Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction” in which she elevates the container into the founding object of human civilization—the recipient, the holder, the story. The dinner concept was developed along with culinary artists Celine Pelcé and Marente Van der Valk, whose staged menu drew from the properties of the container: a meal to be offered, unwrapped, and shared. Swedish artist Louise Waite designed a series of bread spoon casts to scoop the herbal broth opening the five-course dinner.

Accompanied by a live soundscape by Mauro Ventura, artists Alex Housset and Richard Kennedy punctuated the evening with performative interventions: taking turns to rise from the table, their poems and songs invited the guests to enter a moment suspended in time.

The newly founded Kemmler Foundation is a platform to support and connect the work of artists, writers and creatives across disciplines. Born out of a set of ideals shared within the Kemmler Family, the Kemmler Foundation’s mission is to amplify voices of hope and positive social change from a variety of backgrounds, fields and experiences, collaborating with established and emerging talent.

Team dressed by Lemaire
Ceramics by Atelier Maia and Tanja Neubert
Paintings by Lexia Hachtmann