Thursday, January 18, 2018

Tea Ceremony Tour, Part Two

At the beginning of our Tea Ceremony tour, we were introduced to artist Tom Sachs's interest in traditional Japanese culture.  In this exhibition, he not only reimagines specific objects such as the samurai helmet and bronze lobster, he also reimagines the entire tradition of Japanese tea ceremony.

We began by discussing examples of ceremonies including graduations, birthday celebrations, funerals, and weddings.  Traditional Japanese tea ceremony refers to the experience as well as the tools used to make and drink hot green tea, also called matcha.  In his exhibition, Tom Sachs creates an environment for a visitor to enjoy before drinking tea.

This environment is meant to be welcoming, beautiful, and peaceful.

Koi Pond by Tom Sachs
We spent some time looking quietly at the gold, grey, and black koi fish in Koi Pond.  Close your eyes and imagine that you are watching fish slowly swim around this pond while listening to the soft sound of running water.  How does this make you feel?
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After enjoying the beautiful environment, guests put on special clothes for the tea ceremony. This includes a smock inspired by traditional Japanese kimono. Tom Sachs also creates two kinds of shoes: Nike sneakers that he alters by cutting away sections, and shoes inspired by traditional Japanese shoes called tengu geta.

Tengu Geta by Tom Sachs

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