We glow!

We inaugurated Curiosity Labs Berlin and Emilio Chapela Studio in Berlin! Thanks for coming. Please subscribe to receive news on future “thermal events” and activities.

Last week we celebrated “We glow”, the first of a series of Thermal events that will be hosted by Curiosity Labs Berlin and Emilio Chapela Studio. Thanks to everyone who came to visit!

The event, hosted mostly around the kitchen, was led by the warmth of Glühwein and a big pot of soup. We talked, drank, ate, and danced. It was a great celebration. We had many things planned, some of which got postponed to future occasions. As many times, it is a form of collective spontaneity that drives things forward.

For me, the ritual marked the incredible effort put into building a place that I can finally share with you, and where we can do projects together. It was also the opportunity to thank my friends and family for doing this with me. I started last winter with no water, heating, or electricity. Today, we are open. And while it is still precarious in some aspects, it does not lack a warmth of spirit. I feel proud and thankful.

However, some questions got lost in the celebration. What is Curiosity Labs Berlin? What are the plans? How can you collaborate?

If this was not clear, it is not for lack of intention. But because Curiosity Labs Berlin is a nascent project to be shaped and developed with your kind effort, input and thinking. I have many ideas, mostly about experimentation, curiosity, and creativity. Especially, within the context of what I perceive as a flattening, a sense of fugacity, and lack of depth manifested in social media, art practices and artificial intelligence. Disoriented, we are challenged in every discipline and practice.

“Think we must”, said Hannah Arendt. And while the context of her words responded to the rise of fascism and totalitarian states in the past (also relevant today), my invitation seeks to encourage forms of thinking that are critical but also thermal.

Inspired by the work of philosopher Michel Serres and Joseph Beuys, I propose Thermal Thinking as a form of thinking with concepts, but also with our nerves, skin and body. Knowledge burns before it explains. It is felt in the body too. Thermal thinking and Thermal Events will be the umbrella concepts to follow in 2026. We invite you to be part of this. Get in touch, subscribe, visit, and suggest your projects.

Life is combustion. We glow!