Culture is formed through the co-evolution between social and ecological factors that determine what is needed for survival, and what is desired for pleasure. Through tradition people develop personal relationships with different commodities that serve for both satiation and enjoyment. This relationship also includes the containers they are sold in, and the vessels that they are consumed in. I am fascinated by how the physiological and psychological effects of each commodity inspire different cultural practices. Commodities, the plants that create them, and the containers that people use to consume them, in the United States and abroad, inspire the following pieces of artwork I designed.

The first print is of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis. The empty teacup has a chip to represent, and accompany, the Japanese phrase, Wabi Sabi. Wabi Sabi is a concept in traditional Japanese aesthetics that relates to a philosophy centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection; it also celebrates beauty that is perfectly imperfect. The philosophy is derived from the Buddhist teaching of the three marks of existence: impermanence, suffering, and emptiness or absence of self-nature. I wanted to create a visual representation of the commodity (tea), the container (the tea cup) and the philosophy (Wabi Sabi) and how it represents the culture created around tea ware in Japan.

I wonder if the buddhist teachings and philosophy shaped the way tea is consumed and how it makes one feel, or if the way tea makes one feel influenced buddhist teachings. This mirrors my big ah-ha! moment toward the end of my ILC, which was that the social rituals connected to tea consumption is just as important, if not more important, than the chemicals that are being consumed and are usually labeled as the source of effecting ones physiology and consciousness.

The type of tea ware and the way a tea is steeped can influence whether or not a tea will produce ill, neutral, or positive effects. I also believe the size of the tea cup influences the experience; one is inspired to sip and savor the tea because of the small amount of liquid offered. The structure of tea cup and the behavior of  savoring of the tea also influences the pace of ones thought process and how we connect with others. I think it is easy to hide behind a large mug and not have a desire, or need, to interact with others. With a smaller cup, ones cup is empty sooner than later. With the Chinese form of preparing and consuming tea you’re consistently preparing your tea fresh and refilling your cup, or being served. There is a level of consciousness that needs to be there to continue the experience, alone or with company. The tea master needs to be attentive to the people around them, notice if their cup is empty, share the smell of the tea leaves in between steepings, and wash and warm their cup before and in-between tea tastings.

The act of smelling the tea leaves is not just therapeutic for the volatile compounds one inhales, but also for the act of taking a moment to breathe deeply and to breathe deeply with intention; there is a difference. In our modern day to day lives many people hold their breath or breathe in a shallow manner. I will smell essential oils, not only for their healing qualities, but also for the moment to retrain my muscles and nervous system to breathe deeply again. I think it is important to look at the macro and micro view of any subject or thought one is having, as well as, deconstruct what is the means to an end and what is the real end goal. It is easy to often times get attached to the imagined means to an end, more than the beginning desired end; to such a degree that one can stop at the means in a pacified false end. What I love most about tea is that the chemicals and the social rituals attached to tea culture help me to cultivate an inner focus which, helps me to to develop patterns that lead to a healthy mental and physical homeostasis. It also tends to facilitate conversation, connection, and comfort in a sober environment which, these days is a wonderful and rare experience.

After the wine tasting during week ten I couldn’t help but contrast the experience with the tea tasting workshops. I noticed during the wine tasting that Annie used a very similar format and flow for her workshop (tasting, reflecting on flavor, aroma, and color) and that there was a very different environment created in the classroom. It felt more free, relaxed, a little chaotic, and I noticed people divided around in smaller groups. Granted it was the last day and we were all sleep deprived and exhausted, I also think it  was wine, the presence of alcohol, and the inevitable cultural conditioning that comes with the archetype of alcohol, that changed the energy in the room.  The energy and cultural conditioning connected to wine and the way it is marketed to consumers is usually connected to leisure,  escapism, luxury, and “positive shame”; I can hear someone in my head saying, “Be bad! You deserve a glass or two, or a bottle”.

In comparison to the cultural space we’ve created in the workshops , inspired by “teaism”, which invites  one to hone in, focus and listen, to each other, and to ourselves.  We may become “tea drunk” and lose our inhibitions or become spaced out, but the archetype of the tea itself won’t allow you to become too disassociated. There is no such thing as absolutes, so, depending on the social ritual attached, and which culture you’re experiencing tea in, there are ways to abuse tea. But in my personal experience it is much harder to abuse tea than it is to abuse alcohol.

 

I created this print for my thematic work in my printmaking class. The following is a clip from my artist statement to briefly explain the image. I felt like it would be an interesting image to share and it could maybe share the feelings I have about alcohol better than expanding my essay.

The role alcohol plays in European and American Culture inspired the print above. Humans have co-evolved with grapes and have preserved them as wine for centuries. During a period of time where there was not a lot of technology, like refrigeration or preservatives, to preserve the fruit, calories and nutrition, it was turned into wine. Today wine is celebrated and studied, as well as, consumed for its intoxicating and pleasurable qualities. I wanted to capture in the print the two realities that can occur when people have a close relationship to alcohol. One is that a bottle of wine can represent the heart of a home, hospitality, relaxation, and ancestry. The Second represents how addiction and alcoholism can be seductive and engage one in a simple, subtle, and inviting manner. I chose the title, “For better or for worse”, to represent this dichotomy

It has been a pleasure to learn and grow with y’all!

Hope you have a great Spring break!

 

-Kotomi

 

 

Final presentation

Edited Self Evaluation

First Draft of Self Evaluation

Final Narrative Self-Evaluation Assignment

            The title of my in-program Individual Learning Contract was, The Science Behind Tea Flavor, Aroma, Appearance, and Health Benefits. My first learning objective was to learn about the different processing techniques that develop the varying chemicals that produce the physiological, psychological, and therapeutic effects of tea, as well as, the appearance, aroma, and flavor characteristics. My second learning objective was to learn how to curate and teach tea-tasting workshops by designing and teaching weekly forty-five minute tea-tasting workshops, based off of my weekly research. My third learning objective was to explore Kyla Wazana’s concept of critical eating through designing a digital art piece and writing an essay to explain my design.

I taught five tea-tasting workshops. The first tea-tasting workshop was an introduction to Pu er, Red/Black Tea, Oolong and Green Tea; the following four tea-tasting workshops were themed in the order as formerly listed. The workshops consisted of me preparing and serving the class tea while lecturing about the type of tea processing that could produce the characteristics of the tea the class was consuming, the chemical components and how they express themselves in the aesthetic and physical experience of consuming the tea, as well as, sharing any additional historical or cultural information. My time spent researching the different processing techniques that develop the varying chemicals that produce the physiologic, psychological, and therapeutic effects of tea, as well as, the appearance, aroma, and flavor characteristics, was pooled together at the end of each week and made into a weekly worksheet, written into an e-journal post, and shared verbally through my weekly workshops. Towards the end of the quarter I also designed an image to encapsulate and represent the totality of my research into a utilitarian art piece. The art piece is of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis, with each type of tea paired with the appropriate water temperature range for brewing, the category the type of tea falls under (oxidized, semi-oxidized, or fullyoxidized), and the chemical formula of caffeine, theobromine, theophylline, a catechin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, theaflavin, and thearubigin. I chose to put caffeine, theobromine, theophylline, a catechin, and epigallocatechin-3-gallate so as to represent some of the main chemicals that create the positive physiological, psychological, and therapeutic effects of consuming tea. I chose to put the chemical formula of theaflavin and thearubigins because they both represent a component that changes the color of the tea liquor depending on the level of oxidization the tea leaves have undergone. The design was then burned onto silkscreen and then printed. I made three different ten print editions. To explore Kyla Wazana’s concept of critical eating I designed and made a digital art piece in response to the fifth chapter in her book, Racial Indigestion. I also wrote an essay as an e-journal post explaining my imagery and my reflections from the reading.

Over the span of my independent research I felt intellectually closer to tea, and simultaneously very far away from the soul of tea. For myself, to understand the chemistry is beneficial because it compliments my experiences by creating a richer spectrum of knowledge from which to pull from. For example, when I look at the beautiful red-brown liquor of a cup of Pu er tea, I see stones pressing tea cakes, strong hands delicately plucking tea leaves, the forest floor, and now, the chemical structure of thearubigins, caffeine, and polyphenol oxidase. Chemistry can be intimidating and exclusive. I wanted to reshape my relationship with chemistry by connecting the reductionist theory with historical, philosophical, and experiential content; I did this with the intent to help facilitate an integration of the chemical components with the aesthetic and physical experiences one would have when drinking tea. Through curating and teaching weekly tea-tasting workshops I had the pleasure of having a platform to share my personal process bridging the gap between the aesthetic experience and the chemical components, as well as, an opportunity to learn how to teach. I learned a lot about time management, effective and ineffective ways to share knowledge, the importance of social ritual and its place in reaffirming (or being more important) than the chemicals that produce the positive physiological, psychological, and therapeutic effects of consuming tea. I am most proud of the print I designed as well as the positive responses I received from the tea workshops I facilitated.

This quarter was challenging intellectually and emotionally. My ability to work was influenced by my fluctuating mental and physical health due to stress from a family member passing away at the beginning of week one. The process of grieving while continuing with school was a challenge and a learning experience in itself. I had to learn how to continue to work hard while having very little time to devote to the grieving process. I am proud of my accomplishments and my ability to persevere through my academic and personal hurtles.

 

Proposed Credit Equivalencies: __8___ Total of __8___ attempted/registered (fill in blanks)

 

? – Critical Eating Studies: Tasting Labs

8– Individual Learning Project: Tea: Culture, Social Ritual, and The Chemistry of Tea Processing

? – Creative and Expository Writing: WordPress ePortfolio

Updated Program ILC

Humans have a long and rich history with the tea plant, Camellia Sinensis. Over time humans have learned how to manipulate tea leaves, and their abundance of polyphenols and volatile aromatic molecules, to exhibit different aromas, flavor, appearance, and even the physiological, psychological, and therapeutic effects one will experience when the tea is consumed. I will study the science behind the different categories of tea and the preparation processes that produce their unique flavor, aroma, appearance, and health benefits. During weekly forty-five minute tea workshops, I will curate and teach, I will connect the chemical components that attribute to the unique traits one experiences when drinking different types of tea, as well as, facilitate a space to critically explore how the consumption of each type of tea can change group and individual consciousness. When appropriate I will also share cultural and historical information connected to each type of tea and its production.

I will read portions of the following books, Tea: a symposium on the pharmacology and the psychologic effects of tea; Coffee, Tea, Chocolate, and The Brain; Tea Processing; Chemistry and Applications of Green Tea; Caffeinated Beverages: Health Benefits, Physiological Effects and Chemistry; Tea History Terroirs Varieties; On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of The Kitchen; and The Art and Alchemy of Chinese Tea.

I will write weekly e-journal posts to document my work, curate weekly tea-tasting workshops where I will be able to share my research with my peers and faculty, and design a print that will encapsulate and represent the totality of my research into a utilitarian art piece made through silk screen printmaking.

I will explore Kyla Wazana’s concept of critical eating through designing a digital art piece and write an essay explaining my design.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES	ACTIVITIES THAT WILL HELP ME TO ATTAIN THIS OBJECTIVE	WHAT MY SPONSOR WILL EVALUATE
I will learn about the different processing techniques that develop the varying chemicals that produce the physiologic, psychological, and therapeutic effects of tea, as well as, the appearance, aroma, and flavor characteristics.	I will read portions of the books, Tea: a symposium on the pharmacology and the psychologic effects of tea; Chemistry and applications of green tea; caffeinated beverages: health benefits, tea processing; physiological effects and chemistry. Through silkscreen printmaking I will design and create an art piece that will encapsulate and represent the totality of my research into a utilitarian art piece.	Faculty will evaluate my work weekly through e-journal writings Faculty will evaluate the quality of my final print and if it is an effective representation of the the varying chemicals that produce the physiologic, psychological, and therapeutic effects of tea, as well as, the appearance, aroma, and flavor characteristics.
I will learn how to curate and teach tea-tasting workshops by designing and teaching weekly forty-five minute tea-tasting workshops based off of my weekly research.	I will read about the different tea processing techniques, their chemical outcomes, and how they produce the unique qualities in each tea. I will  read about the cultural history and characteristics of each type of tea in the book, Tea: History, Terroirs, Varieties, by Kevin Gascoyne and Jasmin Desharnais. I will design workshops that will cover the different processing techniques, which produce the different characteristics of Pu-er, Red/Black tea, Oolong, and Green Tea. I will connect the chemical components of each tea with the unique traits one experiences when drinking them, as well as, share the history of each type of tea and cultural information when appropriate.   I will design worksheets to accompany the weekly tea-tasting workshops	Faculty will evaluate my e-journal writing, workshop handouts, and the quality of each workshop and my ability to curate an experience for my peers that is enjoyable and educational.
I will explore Kyla Wazana’s concept of critical eating through designing a digital art piece and an essay explaining my design.	I will read chapter five of Kyla Wazana Tompkin’s book, Racial Indigestion, design a digital art piece, and write an essay to explain my work.	Faculty will evaluate my ability to connect content from chapter five of Kyla Wazana Tompkin’s book, Racial Indigestion, with the art piece I design, as well as, the essay I post as an e-journal entry.

 

Evaluation of Work

The student will complete weekly documentation on the Project pages of the SOS program website. The student
will complete comprehensive mid-quarter and final narrative self-evaluations and submit them to faculty prior to mid-quarter and final end of quarter student-faculty conferences. For the final blog post on Project websites, each student will post, and when possible present in class on Tuesday of week 10, a 10-minute PowerPoint Presentation of 10-15 slides with text that demonstrates the highlights of the student’s in-program ILC Project website.