Veronique Chen
Veronique Chen
Table Fable
Multisensory Art Event & Public Programme
19-20 October 2024
Salisbury House, London
Organised by Ziyan Xu
Curated by Veronique Chen
Co-curated by Qinxue Shen
Event Overview
Table Fable was a multidisciplinary and multisensory art event curated by Veronique Chen, co-curated by Qinxue Shen and organised by Ziyan Xu. The event took place on 19-20 October 2024 at Salisbury House, London.
Bringing together culinary, visual and musical arts, Table Fable explored how stories, particularly fables, can be conveyed through sensory experiences. The project examined the relationship between storytelling, food and creativity, inviting audiences to experience how ingredients, dishes, artworks and melodies could become different forms of narrative expression.
Inspired by the metaphorical relationship between food and storytelling, the event created an imaginative space where food became a medium for memory, transformation and connection. Each ingredient represented a fragment of a story, each dish carried a narrative, and each artwork revealed different interpretations of hidden meanings and imagination.
Through the combination of visual artworks, food experiences, music performance and participatory workshops, Table Fable invited audiences to engage with storytelling beyond language and explore the possibilities of sensory-based artistic experiences.
Part I — Exhibition
The exhibition section presented works by artists Aimilios Metaxas, Dirk Tsai, Dengqian Xu, Jakob Rowlinson, Myrtle Glanville, Su Huang-sheng, Valinor, Xinghao Liang, Yingming Chen, Hang Zhao, Ziyi Xu and Ziyan Xu.
The artworks explored different approaches to imagination, materiality and visual storytelling, creating a surreal and fable-inspired environment that formed the visual foundation of the event.
Part II — Food Event: Feast and Fable
The food event explored the relationship between culinary practice and storytelling, inviting audiences to experience food as both a sensory and narrative medium.
The programme considered the symbolic potential of ingredients, from geographically connected food materials with cultural and evolutionary histories to imaginative interpretations of everyday objects and food experiences.
Food artists Giuseppe Burdo and Raffaella Faf contributed to the culinary experience, creating a sensory encounter that connected taste, memory and imagination.
Accompanied by music and visual artworks, the food experience transformed the traditional concept of a meal into an artistic exploration of storytelling, creativity and cultural connection.
Part III — Music Performance & Participatory Workshop
The programme included a music performance by Ollie Clark, followed by a participatory workshop hosted by Valinor.
During the workshop, participants responded to live cello music through drawing activities. As the music developed, participants created individual visual responses and gradually formed a collective narrative, transforming personal impressions into a shared fable.
Through improvisation, collaboration and audience participation, the workshop extended the event’s exploration of how stories can emerge through different sensory experiences.
