Serious tea lovers, taking inspiration from the research conducted on tea culture such as the ceremony. Trying to keep the set natural like the traditional ones by selecting vegetable tanned leather and soft clays as the materials and hand stitching for the making. They aim to express that any place can be a tea space and enjoy the feeling of nature without being tied down by form and environment.
Yuetong Zhang
Everything related to tea comes from nature, whether the leaves, water, sunlight, clay, or metal pots. Thus drinking tea as an activity fits naturally in people’s lifestyles. As Chinese and Japanese tea culture developed over the time, it has become increasingly structured and complicated. One may even feel obligated to follow instructions prior to drinking tea.
Yet, to me, this should be just a simple and enjoyable thing to do in life. I miss the bittersweet taste, I adore the beauty of the tools, and I feel relieved in the atmosphere that comes with it. I believe there is always a good reason to drink tea whenever and wherever you want to. Hence, I want to record my experience with tea as an art form as well as my own ideological perception of it.
Based on my accumulated knowledge of tea ceremony and aesthetics, I started to make my own tea set, exploring material techniques. I test the most suitable production conditions by varying the thickness of the clay and the baking time.
‘Small and beautiful’ objects contain the soul of tea. We can learn a great deal by taking a closer look at these intricate tools.
The stream table is inspired by the traditional Chinese philosophy of "Yin and Yang" and the inspiration of the "winding Stream party". It consists of eight layers of 1.8mm thick wood stacked on top of each other, cutting edges in smooth curves. It creates the atmosphere of thousands of years ago when people sat around the stream and chanted poems.
The yang table, Different areas correspond to different functions. The tiny hole is for flower arrangement, Next to it, is the space for wooden tools. There are tea pads on both sides of the main tank where tea cups can be placed, tea cup represent a person. There is a separate island downstream that can be used for tea pot. In addition, the entire table also serves as a storage space, everything can be placed in the basin after tasting, just like a tea set box.
The evolved stream party is more like a cultural sharing event. The ancients used poetry to express their feelings while nowadays we can share our own stories and knowledge. Chinese modern tea culture always cooperates with gathering with friends to chatting and drinking tea. We are not simply to taste the drink, but to share our life. We are different individuals but related to each other. We often feel that the times and tech are developing rapidly, but face-to-face communication has become rare. We use image and type to convey "electronic emotions", which is slightly cold. I think love can be fully received face to fact，emotional transmission actually does not need a word, an eye touch is enough.
My mobile tea cube. It resembles the ideological form of tea culture, one that is more suitable for the younger generations, with no restriction on time and location, instead, an emphasis on a positive attitude towards life.
My mobile tea cube focuses on releasing the place for tea tasting. when drinking tea can bring people physical and mental pleasure, the original form and rules become less important, everything is worthy of respect. The cube is an ideal space that breaks the rules, I think the best life is what one's heart desires.