Starting from March 13, 2025, the living room of the Kalamaja Museum will feature a small exhibition and artistic intervention by Lena Levtšenkova, titled “Table Silver and a Broken Knife.”

This artistic intervention, presented in the form of a small exhibition, is a continuation of Levtšenkova’s previous project, “Summer Kitchen,” which was displayed in the museum’s greenhouse during the summer of 2024. In that project, the artist transformed used kitchen towels into art objects by drawing hands holding fruits and vegetables.

For this new work, inspired by table silver, she has repurposed an old tablecloth and a vintage soup tureen to create the installation. The background features the sounds of dining—the clinking of cutlery and echoes of shared meals.

Lena Levtšenkova
Art intervention in the living room of the Kalamaja Museum. Mixed media, 2025
Sound design: Kalle Tikas

…Kristi gave me a set of old cutlery wrapped in a reddish-brown embroidered case. Along with it, she handed me a handwritten document listing its previous owners. I carefully unwrapped the utensils. The inside of the case was a soft moss green, with separate pockets for each piece. But some pockets were empty.

The spoons were darkened with age—some were big, some small. The soup spoons had the initials “KP” engraved on them. The tip of a teaspoon was worn down, probably from stirring sugar. One fork had a noticeably worn-down tine. There were two knives—one with a crack, the other completely broken. In the document, one word caught my attention: “tired.”

Where did the missing forks go? How many were there originally?
Why are the initials only on the soup spoons?
How did one knife break, and why is the other cracked?
What happened over the years that made this silverware so worn out?

I imagined a family sitting around the table a hundred years ago, each person with their own fork and knife. I looked up old recipes to understand what kind of food they ate and what smells filled the room. My installation invites visitors to imagine themselves at this table, sharing a meal with family members from the past.

If you’re in the museum, feel free to sit at the table. Open the drawer in the nearby sideboard. Inside, you’ll find the inspiration for this artwork—the old, tired silverware.

The sound clips are sourced from Pixabay. Sound installation and setup by Kalle Tikas.

The artist extends heartfelt thanks to the Kalamaja Museum team for their trust and for making this exhibition possible.

Exibition is open 13.03-18.05.2025