Reflections in Tea

Since 2007 Michele Brody has been serving tea to the public through the interactive community-based project Reflections in Tea. T

he ritual performance of preparing loose-leaf tea within special paper filters is shared with individuals and groups. The participants’ conversations are then preserved by being transcribed onto the stained tea bags that have been dried and flattened, culminating in the creation of an ever-growing set of fluttering paper quilts. From afar these quilts form an overall composition of a craggy mountain range reminiscent of the landscapes where tea grows, while when read up close reveal an array of hand-written stories, poetry, and drawings inspired by tea.Through the experience of reading participants’ stories, Reflections in Tea reflects back to the public both a visual and visceral experience of their collective memories and experiences.

The variety of voices, languages, penmanship, drawings, and choices of tea come together to create a unifying expression of the diversity that holds communities together.  Concurrently there will be a series of scheduled "Tea Times" to share a tea individually and as a group with the artist along with an opportunity to add your own stories to Brody's ever growing quilt mural.

Credit: Exhibition Overview from the Bronx Museum website