Taking Tea

Tea….so humble, so genteel. Or is it? Its 2000-year-old history crosses geographical, political and cultural boundaries and has at times been such an intense economic force as to have been at the heart of several international wars. Gone are the days when the mistress of the house would keep precious tea leaves locked in specially designed chests, but tea's uniqueness still warrants ceremonial rituals in which its consumption is prescribed by a Tea Master.

Echoing the tumultuous journey of tea from the mountains of China to the lacy tablecloths of British aristocracy and beyond, TAKING TEA becomes a contemplative site where the pleasure of “taking tea" connects us with its history and with those who have delighted in this drink over the years. After the conniving East India Company expanded its tea trade by bartering opium grown specifically for the purpose of creating Chinese addiction (and therefore dependence on doing business with the EIC), tea gradually became less and less of an exotic commodity and eventually became the readily available beverage enjoyed today throughout the world.

The visitor entering this serenely meditative space may choose to dip a bamboo wand into the central tea box to find a message in the tea leaves or participate in the ancient ritual of a tea ceremony. Here one is surrounded by gracefully transparent wall panels depicting tea plants and opium poppies; panels that have been created from the contributions of thousands of used tea bags on which one will find designs flocked with the tea leaves they once held. Participants may commune with the absent consumers of this tea and imagine the tiny de-crusted tea sandwiches on silver platters or the welcoming mug or the comforting “cuppa" that each used tea bag represents. By visualizing the gatherings that have taken place around these slightly stained tea cloths, it is possible to be mindful of tea's rich and continual journey.