MILESTONES
✿ 2016: first idea
✿ 2017: first events in Berlin (workshops, story audio archive, art happenings)
✿ 2018: mobile story archive, crowdfunding campaign, pop-up story house in Berlin
✿ 2019: story podcast
✿ 2020- 2024: story boxes in the streets of Berlin, a story house in Berlin, pop-up story houses in Europe, a mobile story van, story economy in Berlin, international story festival
✿ 2025: story economy worldwide, expansion in similar initiatives (STORY FOR TAXI, STORY FOR LAUNDRY etc)
TIMELINE
2016: First idea
Christina Kyriazidi: ´Everything started on Monday, September 5, 2016, at 8:30 am, in front of the Laxemburg Castle, the summer residency of princess Sissi of Austria, in the outskirts of Vienna.
I took part in the "Citizen Artist Incubator" program because I wanted to find my own way to make the world a better place. I knew that I have to start with what I love most. And that Monday morning, I realized that what I love most is STORIES.
I am passionate about stories and how sharing them can contribute to personal and social health. My dream is to value stories in society. Thus, I aspire to create an alternative economy based on stories, document as many stories as possible, of different languages and themes, foster the culture of listening to the stories of others, and eventually, bring people together through their individual stories.
It is in this way that, the concept of STORY FOR # an alternative economy based on stories and the initiative STORY FOR FOOD came to life.´
Since 2017: Implementation
After having the first idea for STORY FOR FOOD in September 2016, Greek actress and playwright Christina Kyriazidi started to implement her idea in Berlin.
Since 2017, STORY FOR FOOD has made numerous appearances throughout the German capital. Christina gave storytelling and story listening and workshops, hosted audio cinema nights and live radio shows, and backed by a group of volunteers, she launched a crowdfunding campaign in 2018.
Since then, she has been recording stories in various languages, giving each storyteller in return a free coffee, ice cream, or cinema ticket. Finally, in a series of special events - FOODBACK, SWEETBACK, ARTBACK, MUSICBACK, and SONGBACK - chefs, musicians, and artists have translated selected stories into food, art, music, and songs.
Since 2018, STORY FOR FOOD runs a live monthly radio show at the Berlin Brandenburg Freies Radio, broadcasting stories from the SFF Audio Archive in 2019, Christina also launched the series of podcasts "Stories in Berlin". In 2022 STORY FOR FOOD founded the International Storytelling Festival "We Love Stories" in Chania, Creta.