The Common Table
@thecommontable.eu
A platform for food thinking, food futures and systemic change https://thecommontable.eu/
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The Common Table
@thecommontable.eu
· Dec 3
The Common Table By Studio_lovell
The publishing platform for stories about food futures and systemic change
thecommontable.eu
The Common Table is a publishing platform dedicated to food futures and systemic change. We bring diverse viewpoints and insights from around the world to the table, to enable greater constructive dialogue and exchange. We believe in better and fairer food futures for everyone.
“The preparation, textures, and slowness of food scenes in Ghibli films, such as the clatter of bowls, steam rising from soups, and the slurping sounds of characters eating, all evoke sensory comfort; a cinematic version of a warm hug.”
The Ghibli Foodiverse — The Common Table
In the Studio Ghibli foodiverse, food is hearth and home, conjuring a sensual state of longing and belonging, says Sophie Lovell.
thecommontable.eu
November 10, 2025 at 8:55 PM
“The preparation, textures, and slowness of food scenes in Ghibli films, such as the clatter of bowls, steam rising from soups, and the slurping sounds of characters eating, all evoke sensory comfort; a cinematic version of a warm hug.”
Supply chain transparency and integrity are not just good practice; they are also becoming mandatory. Food industry expert William Harris and Cynthia Asaf of Pacifical talking about why digital technology is a game-changer for the industry, with implications for supply chain monitoring worldwide.
Transparent Tuna — The Common Table
Cynthia Asaf of Pacifical on using digital traceability to improve transparency and integrity in the Pacific tuna supply chain and why it's a game-changer.
thecommontable.eu
October 3, 2025 at 10:33 AM
Supply chain transparency and integrity are not just good practice; they are also becoming mandatory. Food industry expert William Harris and Cynthia Asaf of Pacifical talking about why digital technology is a game-changer for the industry, with implications for supply chain monitoring worldwide.
Can Food Design improve our relationships with food, or is it just fancy plating? OxfordFoodSymposium’ Kitchen Table & @thecommontable.eu invited Priya Mani, Sonia Massari, @fparasecoli.bsky.social, Laila Snevele, @sophielovell.com & Orlando Lovell to discuss. thecommontable.eu/food-design-...
August 16, 2025 at 10:52 PM
Can Food Design improve our relationships with food, or is it just fancy plating? OxfordFoodSymposium’ Kitchen Table & @thecommontable.eu invited Priya Mani, Sonia Massari, @fparasecoli.bsky.social, Laila Snevele, @sophielovell.com & Orlando Lovell to discuss. thecommontable.eu/food-design-...
We need to talk about Food Design. thecommontable.eu/food-design-...
August 16, 2025 at 10:42 PM
We need to talk about Food Design. thecommontable.eu/food-design-...
“What if the settlers had arrived and had agreed to coexist instead? I wonder if we would have had a robust, very cool food culture by now. Because they were so hell-bent on disappearing us, we never got that cross-cultural exchange and an evolution of what American food truly could have been.”
The Good Life — The Common Table
Anishinaabe Algonquin filmmaker Cass Gardiner talks to The Common Table about how she uses food as a window for non-Native people into her world and community.
thecommontable.eu
July 13, 2025 at 9:28 AM
“What if the settlers had arrived and had agreed to coexist instead? I wonder if we would have had a robust, very cool food culture by now. Because they were so hell-bent on disappearing us, we never got that cross-cultural exchange and an evolution of what American food truly could have been.”
“One day, while watching them, I thought: what if these birds could cooperate and create their own alphabet?”
A multi species food alphabet by @curly_mads.
thecommontable.eu/wild-birds-f...
#thecommontable #curlymads #wildbirds #wildbirdsalphabet #pictoplasma #foodalphabet #risoprint
A multi species food alphabet by @curly_mads.
thecommontable.eu/wild-birds-f...
#thecommontable #curlymads #wildbirds #wildbirdsalphabet #pictoplasma #foodalphabet #risoprint
June 9, 2025 at 9:08 AM
“One day, while watching them, I thought: what if these birds could cooperate and create their own alphabet?”
A multi species food alphabet by @curly_mads.
thecommontable.eu/wild-birds-f...
#thecommontable #curlymads #wildbirds #wildbirdsalphabet #pictoplasma #foodalphabet #risoprint
A multi species food alphabet by @curly_mads.
thecommontable.eu/wild-birds-f...
#thecommontable #curlymads #wildbirds #wildbirdsalphabet #pictoplasma #foodalphabet #risoprint
“Every morning, I visit a large urban park near my home to watch birds.” artist @curly_mads tells the story of herWild Birds Food Alphabet.
thecommontable.eu/wild-birds-f... Wild Birds Food Alphabet — The Common Table
#thecommontable #curlymads #wildbirds #foodalphabet #pictoplasma
thecommontable.eu/wild-birds-f... Wild Birds Food Alphabet — The Common Table
#thecommontable #curlymads #wildbirds #foodalphabet #pictoplasma
June 9, 2025 at 9:04 AM
“Every morning, I visit a large urban park near my home to watch birds.” artist @curly_mads tells the story of herWild Birds Food Alphabet.
thecommontable.eu/wild-birds-f... Wild Birds Food Alphabet — The Common Table
#thecommontable #curlymads #wildbirds #foodalphabet #pictoplasma
thecommontable.eu/wild-birds-f... Wild Birds Food Alphabet — The Common Table
#thecommontable #curlymads #wildbirds #foodalphabet #pictoplasma
We invited Systems Change Designer Ashley Scarborough to The Common Table to share how she redesigned her own professional path and found food systems as her medium.
Change The (Design) System — The Common Table
A conversation with Systems Change Designer Ashley Scarborough about how she redesigned her own professional path and found food systems as her medium.
thecommontable.eu
June 8, 2025 at 5:21 PM
We invited Systems Change Designer Ashley Scarborough to The Common Table to share how she redesigned her own professional path and found food systems as her medium.
Adjust your preconceptions about Food Design by joining the Oxford Food Symposium Kitchen Table panel talk online with the founders of The Common Table and others here tomorrow May 13th 6pm CEST on Zoom
We need to talk about 'Food Design': What is it and can it improve our relationships with food, individually or on a global scale? - Oxford Food Symposium
Agriculturalists, economists, chefs, politicians & policy makers, and educationalists & educators have ‘solutions’ relating to improving the food system. Unfortunately, many have fallen flat, and we c...
www.oxfordsymposium.org.uk
May 12, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Adjust your preconceptions about Food Design by joining the Oxford Food Symposium Kitchen Table panel talk online with the founders of The Common Table and others here tomorrow May 13th 6pm CEST on Zoom
If you want to understand how we ended up in this mess, you go to an expert.
The Common Table talked to political economist @jennifer-clapp.bsky.social about her banging new book: "Titans of Industrial Agriculture: How a Few Giant Corporations Came to Dominate the Farm Sector and Why It Matters".
The Common Table talked to political economist @jennifer-clapp.bsky.social about her banging new book: "Titans of Industrial Agriculture: How a Few Giant Corporations Came to Dominate the Farm Sector and Why It Matters".
A Game Of Monopoly — The Common Table
We talk to Canadian political economist Jennifer Clapp about her latest book, “Titans of Industrial Agriculture” and the evolution of an extreme concentration of power that has allowed 12 companies to...
thecommontable.eu
April 24, 2025 at 1:33 PM
If you want to understand how we ended up in this mess, you go to an expert.
The Common Table talked to political economist @jennifer-clapp.bsky.social about her banging new book: "Titans of Industrial Agriculture: How a Few Giant Corporations Came to Dominate the Farm Sector and Why It Matters".
The Common Table talked to political economist @jennifer-clapp.bsky.social about her banging new book: "Titans of Industrial Agriculture: How a Few Giant Corporations Came to Dominate the Farm Sector and Why It Matters".
Just as we understand individual ingredients, like apples or crisps, to be expressions of systems, The Common Table is an expression of a system initiated by studio_lovell. It is designed to be a hospitable space for learning to ask better questions.
March 27, 2025 at 11:40 AM
Just as we understand individual ingredients, like apples or crisps, to be expressions of systems, The Common Table is an expression of a system initiated by studio_lovell. It is designed to be a hospitable space for learning to ask better questions.
The Common Table's founders studio_lovell were invited to co-design an immersive dining experience and give a keynote at the #HotelschoolTheHague for their Future of Food course in Amsterdam. We talked about learning to ask better questions & understanding ingredients as expressions of systems.
March 27, 2025 at 11:29 AM
The Common Table's founders studio_lovell were invited to co-design an immersive dining experience and give a keynote at the #HotelschoolTheHague for their Future of Food course in Amsterdam. We talked about learning to ask better questions & understanding ingredients as expressions of systems.
Now more than ever it is so important to question the narratives we are fed. Our interview with Fabio Aranzulla and Luca Cinquemani aka Aterraterra, whose interdisciplinary work questions accepted narratives within agriculture and food cultures, just went online. We'd love to hear your feedback.
Ancient Grains And Other Myths — The Common Table
The interdisciplinary work of Aterraterra intersects artistic and agricultural practices and questions accepted narratives within agriculture and food cultures.
thecommontable.eu
February 26, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Now more than ever it is so important to question the narratives we are fed. Our interview with Fabio Aranzulla and Luca Cinquemani aka Aterraterra, whose interdisciplinary work questions accepted narratives within agriculture and food cultures, just went online. We'd love to hear your feedback.
Another agreeable Monday morning provocation 🍄
Scientists just created a biodegradable battery using mushrooms — and it actually works
Researchers have created a fungal battery that can power small sensors, showcasing the untapped power of the fungal community.
www.thecooldown.com
February 24, 2025 at 10:06 AM
Another agreeable Monday morning provocation 🍄
An enjoyable Monday morning provocation
FreeHouse Tkaronto: how might reimagining our relationship with the house, beyond property, create space for #IndigenousReconciliation? Our proposal for Toronto’s Ravines.
provocations.darkmatterlabs.org/freehouse-tk...
provocations.darkmatterlabs.org/freehouse-tk...
FreeHouse Tkaronto
Can reimagining our relationship with the house create space for Indigenous Reconciliation?
provocations.darkmatterlabs.org
February 24, 2025 at 8:41 AM
An enjoyable Monday morning provocation
Game changer?
UK soil breakthrough could cut farm fertiliser use and advance sustainable agriculture
Research group says discovery could lead to new type of environmentally friendly farming
www.theguardian.com
February 22, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Game changer?
Reading list
Today is publication day! I explain how agricultural inputs - which weren't even widely traded market goods 200 years ago - have become giant industries dominated by just a handful of transnational firms today.
mitpress.mit.edu/978026255170...
Many thanks to those who helped me along the way!
mitpress.mit.edu/978026255170...
Many thanks to those who helped me along the way!
February 19, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Reading list
Food systems are emerging as a new focus of investigative cultural practice. The Common Table talked to curator and researcher Meriç Öner, former Director at Salt in Istanbul, who brings a unique perspective to the intersection of food, culture and art.
thecommontable.eu/foods-capaci...
thecommontable.eu/foods-capaci...
February 18, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Food systems are emerging as a new focus of investigative cultural practice. The Common Table talked to curator and researcher Meriç Öner, former Director at Salt in Istanbul, who brings a unique perspective to the intersection of food, culture and art.
thecommontable.eu/foods-capaci...
thecommontable.eu/foods-capaci...
The Oxford Real Farming Conference 2025 sessions are now online for everybody. There were some amazing talks. Well worth listening in, particularly Unpicking Food & Farming Misinformation, Is a Fossil-free Food System Possible and Roots of Resistance. 🌱🥬🌾💚
ORFC Archive
Explore conference material that we have gathered over the years including videos, presentations and summaries of the sessions…
orfc.org.uk
February 18, 2025 at 1:20 PM
The Oxford Real Farming Conference 2025 sessions are now online for everybody. There were some amazing talks. Well worth listening in, particularly Unpicking Food & Farming Misinformation, Is a Fossil-free Food System Possible and Roots of Resistance. 🌱🥬🌾💚
Seed sovereignty is a vital issue.
#TheOutpost
More than half of the global seed market is in the hands of just a few corporations. Seeds are ultimately what feed us and the animals we eat.
www.dw.com/en/agricultu...
More than half of the global seed market is in the hands of just a few corporations. Seeds are ultimately what feed us and the animals we eat.
www.dw.com/en/agricultu...
Who controls the world's food supply? – DW – 04/08/2021
Seed laws criminalizing farmers for using diverse crops that stand a better chance of adapting to climate change are threatening food security. Seed sovereignty activists want to reclaim the right to ...
www.dw.com
February 14, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Seed sovereignty is a vital issue.
Embracing food thinking not only facilitates an accessible, inclusive path to understanding and nurturing thriving ecologies by building and maintaining healthy relationships, it is essential to survival.
February 13, 2025 at 12:16 PM
Embracing food thinking not only facilitates an accessible, inclusive path to understanding and nurturing thriving ecologies by building and maintaining healthy relationships, it is essential to survival.
Food is everything
A talk prof Paul Behrens gave today on 'Food Transformations' has been recorded, so I'll post a link soon.
Some of his arguments:
🧵
1) Food systems are the top/key drivers of all Planetary Boundaries, with animal ag playing the biggest part (+ top driver of antibiotic resistance, pandemics, etc)
Some of his arguments:
🧵
1) Food systems are the top/key drivers of all Planetary Boundaries, with animal ag playing the biggest part (+ top driver of antibiotic resistance, pandemics, etc)
February 12, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Food is everything
What if there was a more inclusive way to approach the design process than “design thinking”? One that is based, not on “things” or “problems” but on building and maintaining healthy relationships instead? 1/3 thecommontable.eu/food-thinking/
February 12, 2025 at 10:28 AM
What if there was a more inclusive way to approach the design process than “design thinking”? One that is based, not on “things” or “problems” but on building and maintaining healthy relationships instead? 1/3 thecommontable.eu/food-thinking/
We love beans
🥔 We joined the global celebration marking this year's #WorldPulsesDay
That's because they're a healthy and sustainable source of protein and can be an affordable way of ensuring your diet stays nutritious.
Read more: ➡️ tinyurl.com/3bvwasub
#LovePulses
That's because they're a healthy and sustainable source of protein and can be an affordable way of ensuring your diet stays nutritious.
Read more: ➡️ tinyurl.com/3bvwasub
#LovePulses
February 11, 2025 at 9:17 PM
We love beans
New newsletter just dropped at The Common Table. Sign up if you would like to receive the next one. thecommontable.eu/newsletter/
February 11, 2025 at 6:55 PM
New newsletter just dropped at The Common Table. Sign up if you would like to receive the next one. thecommontable.eu/newsletter/