Making Connections

Paige Robson Week Four - Making Connections

Social

Cultural

Historical

Paige Robson Week Four - Making Connections

Social
Ceremonys / Rituals Social gatherings

The social context behind my work will inform it by me being able to create the experience of drinking tea for the consumer. I will be able to do this by knowing the main reasons people drink tea and the ceremonys.

Paige Robson Week Four - Making Connections

Cultural
Chinese
- One of the worlds oldest culture. - very traditional - Tea spreads across multiple cultures. - It originated in China - Shennong - A chinese myth / legend about tea - Tea - medicinal Chinese Tea culture - method of preparation - equipment used - occasion in which it is being consumed - ceremony Drinking tea in the Chinese culture - A sign of respect - A Gathering - Apologising - Expressing Thanks - Connecting with one another These cultural contexts inform my work as I am now able to show and portray the two cultures visually in my design. It may be difficult to show these two cultures in the same design as they are so different but so far I have come up with the idea to use chinese design and pattern in a laid back youthful friendly way. - laid back Nineteenth-century New Zealand imported considerable amounts of tea. Legislation such as the Tea Examination Act 1882 safeguarded its quality by making mandatory the selling of pure tea, rather than that adulterated with sawdust or other additives.

vs

New Zealand

Paige Robson Week Four - Making Connections

Historical
Trade
In the 18th century during the Opium war Low Chinese demand for European goods, and high European demand for Chinese goods, including tea, silk, and porcelain, forced European merchants to purchase these goods with silver, the only commodity the Chinese would accept. British and other Europeans tried to reduce the trade deficit by importing tea from India and other places, The Chinese have consumed tea for thousands of years. Tea first appeared publicly in England during the 1650s, where it was introduced through coffee houses. From there it was introduced to British colonies in America and elsewhere. By 1750-1800 tea would be the national drink!

Paige Robson Week Four - Making Connections

Economics

Paige Robson Week Four - Making Connections

Ethics

Paige Robson Week Four - Making Connections

This illustrated history looks at tea-drinking traditions from early Maori times to the twenty-first century. It includes brews from native plants (tea-tree and rimu), smoko with early settlers and Chinese goldminers, heritage tea rooms such as Dunedins Savoy, Wellingtons Kirkcaldie and Stains, Christchurchs Sign of the Kiwi and the Blue Bath Tearooms in Rotorua, tea as a tonic (and as a murder weapon), fine handmade teapots in pottery, how to read tea leaves and traditional recipes for tea parties.

A well-illustrated, concise exploration of the rich and fascinating history of tea which describes the many varieties of tea consumed around the world, from Indian chai to Burmese pickled lephet tea, and from brick tea to Taiwanese bubble tea and looks at the economic and social uses of tea.

Paige Robson Week Four - Making Connections