A few days back i saw a post on Facebook ... Tea Pavilion, everyone is invited for Tea... I was clueless on what was Kochi Muziris Biennale in store for us now with Tea... The invitation was only the beginning. I used to be late, but this time i was really early for the show. Saw my compadre Edwin David Sam and rest of the Biennale team working for the Tea Pavilion Show.
They told me all about the program and was amazed that Tea was part of art. If it's a bad tea in the morning....I'm sure the rest of the day is gonna be bad.
The whole idea was from Dorothee Albercht. She is from Berlin and has been travelling all around the world, India, South Africa and China exploring the social, political and artistic spaces based on the culture and the global changes in these recent times. She has brought up a wonderful artwork and installations at Sao Paulo
Biennale 2012, the Guangzhou Triennal 2008. More on her can be looked upon
www.dorotheealbrecht.net .
What has brought her here was, she had gone all over India and found one common habit of every Indian - having Tea. The day starts with one and ends in one. Its one thing we all do but none of has thought about this
in deep. Wake up...you need tea, in the afternoon we need a tea, after a whole days work its tea you need. She recognized it....its not only the tea, the conversations, the arguments, the approach of every people.
Her video installation was on Nandilal Kumar, who is one of the popular tea maker in Fort Kochi. Fort Kochi's wakeup call is his tea and Kochi-Muzris Biennale had invited him personally to spread his amazing tea for all. I am sure next time i go to Fort Kochi, i know where to find the best tea. All thanks to Kochi Muziris Biennale and the team who had the event at its best.
