Tea. Time.

I was commissioned to make two interactive works which was on display at the Pasadena Museum of California Art. Inspired by memories of traditional Vietnamese food and drink, my immersive art installations are composed of hand-built and hand-painted ingredients, mural work, sculptures, and vessels.

Tea. Time., 2018. Hand-sculpted teapot; hand-crafted seat cushions and tea bags with pressed leaves; hand-painted tea set, mats, and mural, 15’H x 30’L. Pasadena Museum of Art, Pasadena, CA. Collection of U.R., Marina Del Rey, CA

There is a warmth that tea offers—not just from cradling a hot cup between our hands, or the heating up of the belly with every sip, but also from the comforting nostalgia that it can bring when we join each other for some tea. And some time.

I remember a time when I sat at the dining table with my grandmother, Bà Ngoại. As we sipped on green tea, she recalled her childhood memories. She described her mornings in Việt Nam, walking with her sisters under canopies of bougainvillea on their way to school, their white áo dài flowing at their shuffling ankles. To commemorate her cherished memory and my own memories with Bà Ngoại, hand-painted bougainvillea adorn the tea cups, inviting guests to sit down together and perhaps to share in this memory with us.

As the most widely consumed beverage in the world next to water, tea is possibly shared among all cultures. To represent the rich diversity in tea culture and in the American and Californian landscape, the tea bags contain real leaves plucked from different trees. Each tea bag offers a small burst of encouragement. Stamped on the wall is the Chinese symbol for blessing, also adopted by Vietnamese culture. On the adjacent wall, a crane carries this blessing to all who enter here.