Stickstoff
Album

In the STICKSTOFF project we embroidered a giant tablecloth together with people from our neighbourhood, reflecting on the theme of eating together. / CC BY Andrea Milde & Kati Hyyppä

We started the project with an embroidery session in the local library. / CC BY Andrea Milde & Kati Hyyppä

Some of the first motifs: 'Food holds the body and soul together', sausage bread from Nürnberg and a Finnish-German ice cream. / CC BY Andrea Milde & Kati Hyyppä

Community dinner at the Theater an der Parkaue in Lichtenberg, where we visited with our giant cloth. / CC BY Andrea Milde & Kati Hyyppä

The bird is an 'uninvited guest' at the dinner, accompanied by some fresh fish. / CC BY Andrea Milde & Kati Hyyppä

We continued embroidering at home, as the discussions with people inspired a lot of thoughts. Here the fish wonders: 'To eat? Or to be eaten?' The cheese was a collaboration of several people and evolved gradually over time. / CC BY Andrea Milde & Kati Hyyppä

We also visited couple of times a local farmers' market at Stadtfarm. / CC BY Andrea Milde & Kati Hyyppä

Andrea's pixelated tomatoes from the market. / CC BY Andrea Milde & Kati Hyyppä

Some motifs made in the evenings at home. My mother and aunts were also visiting Berlin and embroidered drinks, as they had been celebrating together. / CC BY Andrea Milde & Kati Hyyppä

Everyone finds a corner to work on. / CC BY Andrea Milde & Kati Hyyppä

The 'Suppenkasper' is an old, educational figure still known to German children. He repeatedly refuses to eat his soup and sadly starves to death. Andrea embroidered him, inspired by the soup by my aunt, who likes to cook. / CC BY Andrea Milde & Kati Hyyppä

Kati's Finnish friends also contributed to the tablecloth with snacks eaten in the forest, melted ice cream, fish and muffins. / CC BY Andrea Milde & Kati Hyyppä

We also visited a local handicraft group in Lichtenberg called 'Kreative Hände' and discussed our favourite cakes. They have always some coffee, cookies, sweets or cake to share. / CC BY Andrea Milde & Kati Hyyppä

Some embroideries developed their meaning while working. Since the pot turned out slightly 'deformed ', it was because 'the cook forgot the stove on while he was drinking too much wine'. Also, when one of two strawberries, which were supposed be identical, ended up having a mistake, the motif became a game ('find the mistake'). / CC BY Andrea Milde & Kati Hyyppä

Here we are at the Anton-Saefkow-Platz on a Friday night. Most people are watching soccer but Andrea is making a spinach vampire based on a children's book that her daughter used to read. / CC BY Andrea Milde & Kati Hyyppä

This is a Japanese saying, 'Mottainai', by my friend. It expresses regret over wasting food. / CC BY Andrea Milde & Kati Hyyppä

'Five were invited, ten came, add some water in the soup, everyone is welcome!' / CC BY Andrea Milde & Kati Hyyppä

The giant tablecloth was very popular at the FAN-KiezFest. / CC BY Andrea Milde & Kati Hyyppä

Greetings from Italy, Albania and Schwabenland. / CC BY Andrea Milde & Kati Hyyppä

During the Lange Nacht der BIlder, night of the arts in Lichtenberg, we were at Museum Kesselhaus in Herzberge. / CC BY Andrea Milde & Kati Hyyppä

On the same weekend there was the day of the monuments and we continued finishing the cloth for the exhibition. / CC BY Andrea Milde & Kati Hyyppä

Some more people joined just before the exhibition, making apples and mustard. / CC BY Andrea Milde & Kati Hyyppä

The exhibition took place at Museum Kesselhaus, which is situated in an old hospital area and used to serve as a boiler room. It has a great interior with high ceilings and big machines. In addition to the tablecloth, we presented all the stories behind the embroidered motifs. / CC BY Andrea Milde & Kati Hyyppä

The tablecloth was hung from the ceiling structures and had two speakers underneath that played a soundscape recorded at Andrea's dinner. / CC BY Andrea Milde & Kati Hyyppä

Close-up of the motifs showing how the different images and textures all came together in the end. There were many more, which don't unfortunately fit all here. / CC BY Andrea Milde & Kati Hyyppä