Kallaway Kaffeine and Kuchen for Wellcome Collection

The Wellcome Collection is a major visitor attraction that explores connections between medicine, life and art. Kallaway was commissioned to create a Supper Salon that would take Wellcome’s visitors to new levels of sensory stimulation as part of High Society, a special exhibition on mind-altering drugs.

Kallaway developed the Kaffeine und Kuchen Salon which immersed guests in the sounds and aromas of an eighteenth century Leipzig coffee house within Wellcome’s contemporary café venue.

Guests were invited to be part of a performance of J S Bach’s Coffee Cantata by the world class Early Opera Company, telling of a young girls coffee addiction. Singers moved amongst the tables accompanied by period instruments and an expert from the London School of Coffee guided guests in the art of ‘coffee-cupping’, a technique for determining taste and aroma. The orchestra played specially selected musical excerpts to enhance the flavour. A Q&A, chaired by science writer and comedian Timandra Harkness, rounded the evening off with fascinating insights and lively debate from the floor.

All four Kaffeine und Kuchen events sold out straight away and connected Wellcome to a new audience of music-lovers and people who enjoy a daily caffeine hit.