ONE MILLION – The Table with the World

With the long-term art project ONE MILLION, Berlin-based artist Uli Aigner has been pursuing her vision since 2014 to create one million hand-thrown porcelain vessels.

Each vessel is one-of-a-kind, numbered, signed, and linked to its respective owner. Together, the vessels form a growing worldwide network of people—a global space that can be experienced through a physical object.

In 2022, the Museum of Prehistory and Early History at the Neues Museum presented a major exhibition by the artist, which placed the forms of her porcelain vessels within the long cultural history of drinking vessels.

To mark the 200th anniversary of Museum Island, the Museum of Prehistory and Early History is therefore hosting a very special drinking celebration:

On September 2, 2026, ONE MILLION will celebrate the first 12,000 porcelain vessels of this art project, which is planned to span 300 years. The focal point will be a communal table in the Kolonnadenhof, where owners of their ONE MILLION vessels will gather and symbolically “set the table with the world.”

The evening follows a simple rule: Only white wine and water will be served—and no one pours for themselves. All participants pour for one another. This gesture represents a ritual of mutual care.

ONE MILLION sees itself as a project aimed at dismantling hierarchies in the world. It brings together people of different generations, professions, backgrounds, and walks of life, fostering encounters that transcend one’s own social boundaries. The project promotes a fear-free approach to interacting with people who think, live, or act differently than oneself.

The porcelain vessels can be sold, exchanged, given as gifts, or passed on. Each object comes with a 300-year guarantee, making it a vessel of responsibility that spans generations. ONE MILLION explores the question of how community can be created and sustained over the long term.

In doing so, the project combines humanity’s oldest and newest technologies. The ceramic vessel is one of the earliest cultural techniques of the Neolithic era; at the same time, the global network of vessels is digitally documented and supported by contemporary technologies, including artificial intelligence. ONE MILLION highlights how technologies have shaped societies for millennia and created social agency.

Owners of ONE MILLION vessels are invited to bring their vessel with them. Those who own multiple vessels may invite additional people. People who are not yet part of the project can become ONE MILLIONAIRES on site: vessels can be purchased or exchanged for a nominal fee. In this way, the network continues to grow into new social circles.

Become a One in ONE MILLION.

Because every single person changes the face of the world.

Uli Aigner’s performance is supported by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Housing, Arts, Culture, Media, and Sports.

The event will take place in the outdoor area of the Colonnades.

Please bring your ONE MILLION porcelain vessel with you—it is your admission ticket.