Stories from the kitchen Table | 2014-2018

I created Stories from the Kitchen Table to preserve and honor a fading way of life in my childhood home, a continent away. Going home means traveling the long distance back to a small village in northern Germany and my family’s old farmhouse, a house that seems untouched by modern time, and, one day soon, will be left behind.

The hardship of farming and events during World War II cast a prickly shadow over family members that can still be felt today. Telling these tales gives me a chance for reflection and transformation. Memories and emotions intertwine into new stories.

When I visit, I absorb the ingredients of home: the flavors of dishes that are so familiar, and the same furnishings, photographs, knick-knacks, and worn kitchen tools that have been there since well before I was born. Most of all, the very essence of home for me is gathering around the kitchen table to sit down for a meal with family and friends and share stories old and new.

Family stories and tales were often shared among women in “Spinneklümpe”. In past times, these spin clubs met with the purpose of spinning, doing needlework, and stitching tablecloths and wall hangings. These close-knit groups of women stayed together for life. Today, these clubs barely exist. “Stories from the Kitchen Table” transforms this tradition of storytelling into a visual journey.

In the news: Identity and memory on display at the PRC, Mark Feeney, Boston Globe, May 2016.