A Welcome Table is simultaneously an event, engagement programme and art work. Originally commissioned by Peckham24, it sat at the heart of their 2025 photography festival, hosting artists, community groups and public audiences as part of the annual theme Come Together. Across the course of the festival, artist Becky Warnock hosted four participatory talk events, plus a final collective meal and ceramic artists edition.
Each event expanded on themes drawn from the artworks in the main exhibition, including peacebuilding and reconciliation, community, food and culture. The project draws on the structure of a ‘long table’ gathering, in which audiences participate in the conversation, rather than simply observing. For each event, Becky invited an artist featured in the exhibition to offer a provocation based on key themes from their work, that can spark a wider conversation. When at the table, participants could also choose to contribute to the conversation by writing, drawing or mark making onto the specially designed table cloth.
The ‘long table’ approach has a history of being used as a non-hierarchical panel format, originally developed by feminist theatre practitioner Lois Weaver. For Peckham24, the events were hosted at Sunset Studios, with a specially designed table. The table itself is key, as it reflects both the domestic environment in which we share food with loved ones, and the board rooms in which those in power make crucial decisions.
The final event took the form of a hosted dinner. Working alongside Giles Duley, the renowned photojournalist also known as The One Armed Chef, Becky curated a menu that reflected the vibrant food suppliers of Peckham market. Participants shared their own ‘recipes for hope’ and were invited to connect with other attendees.
After the event series, Becky worked with the Peckham communal ceramics studio The Kiln Rooms to create a bespoke pottery dinner service which incorporates the interventions on the event series tablecloth into its design.
Table provocations offered by: Tami Aftab, Danit Ariel, Tereza Cerenova, Jaskirt Dhaliwal Boora, Marysa Dowling, Tati El-Mallah, Sabine Hess + Quetzal Maucci
Documentation images by Ali Mohammed + Aisha Abdirashed
