The exhibition

I Belong grew out of Louise Varre's lifelong interest in the science of who we are, and how deeply our wellbeing is shaped by fire. For nearly half a million years we gathered around it every night, told stories, sang, shared meals, and our brain shaped itself to the architecture of togetherness. The exhibition is a first expression of her belief that belonging is essential to us, and that we can begin to heal ourselves, and each other, through it.

New and existing Eldvarm pieces by Emma Olbers, Daniel Rybakken and Guillaume Delvigne are on show. Each one carries the story of something we once did by the fire, and the science of how it still calms us today.

At the end of the visit, we would love to know, where do you belong?

The talk

Louise will be joined by Paul Bennett for a talk about fire, the origins of gathering, belonging and why this matters now more than ever. Together they will explore the fire as the original home, and belonging as the deepest of all human needs.

This talk is part of a greater ongoing conversation between the two of them, an exchange that has helped shape this exhibition. Paul has written the essay I, Belong on his Curiosity Chronicles, drawn from Louise's story and their long conversation.

Spaces are limited, make sure you register here.

About Paul Bennett

Paul is a creative and strategic powerhouse. He spent over two decades at IDEO, where he was Chief Creative Officer and co-CEO, and is now a Senior Advisor at McKinsey, and writes the Curiosity Chronicles.

His career has been built on the question of what design can do for the way people live, often in subjects most designers leave alone. His 2007 TED talk, Design is in the Detail, set out an idea he has carried through his work ever since, that the smallest things are rarely small at all.

Among the many places Paul has spoken and taught are the World Economic Forum, COP26, SXSW Global, the Royal College of Art, Stanford and the Iceland Academy of the Arts.

The drinks

Following our talk, join us for a drink that we are hosting with our neighbours on the second floor of the Conary: Libeco Home (BE), HEGE (JP), soca (JP) and Stylescape (NO). Come meet our designers, the Eldvarm team, and the other people sharing our floor. Five brands, gathering around the same metaphorical fire.

About Eldvarm

A fireplace is often the centrepiece of a room, and Eldvarm was founded in 2015 on the belief that the objects alongside it should be beautiful enough to deserve that position. Eldvarm is a Scandinavian brand built on the idea that beauty is not only surface, it is what makes something worth keeping. Every piece is made to do its job well, year after year.

Eldvarm products are made mostly by hand in small European workshops, using materials chosen for how they age as much as how they look. What began with fireplace accessories has grown into a wider collection of objects for the rituals of gathering around a flame.

About Louise Varre

Louise Varre grew up in Sweden and Norway, and has spent as many years outside Scandinavia as in it, bringing both deep roots and a broad international perspective to the brand.

Fire has been a constant. A childhood surrounded by fireplaces, then nearly two decades with the fireplace at the heart of her work. Alongside, a lifelong fascination with psychology, neuroscience and evolution. In recent years, her interest has deepened into how the fire shaped humanity. For Louise, I Belong is a deeply personal exhibition, it is the first time her two passions come together, expressed as one.

Louise lives in Paris with her two sons.

The details