1) Post documentation of your third FNBK entry
2) Reflect on trip to Kettl
– What was the most inspiring/interesting part of the visit for you?
The different sets of tea pots and teacups for drinking tea is really interesting for me. I feel like making tea is a process of making art too. The tea pots are artists’ tools and the tea leaves are like pigment painting.
– After visiting the shop, do you think Kettl will become a Long Life Design business? Why/why not?
Yes, I think so. I think tea is almost accepted to everyone, but just people often do not know how to choose good tea. In that case, coming to Kettl to learn a little bit or listen to some introductions can let people know better about tea. Also, tea can be shown up in lots of places like meetings, friends’ party, etc. Besides, tea can be a gift for people or develop a hobby for a person.
– Name eight specific systems of air, water, energy and materials involved in Zach’s work at Kettl. Think about what kind of geography, tea, history, people in Japan & New York are essential to his work.
Electricity for fridge to preserve the tea leaves.
The air pollution from the airplane oil: flights to Japan to talk to the tea leaves’ producers
Electricity for Boiled water
Water for making tea
The wood for making tables and other furniture in the store
The ceramics for making tea pots
The plastics/tins for making packaging for tea packages
The porcelain made for teacups can maintain long time
– Do you think of Zach as an artist or a business person? Is his work aesthetic?
I consider him as a more artist person. He personally really like drinking different kinds of tea and I can see he has a deep passion in tea. Also, I heard his wife makes tea pots, and he sells them in his store, which is also a way to appreciation artworks. The decoration of store with piles of books and vintage or modern pots exhibited together bring me the feeling that he is more like an artist.
– Do you feel his work is “sustainable”? In what ways?
I think for the tea containers like tea pots and teacups are sustainable. All the cups we drink are not disposable but are washed to keep them clean. Also, once we bought the tea pots for making tea, they can last for long time. Also, except the tea leaves cannot really be reused, almost all the material in his store can be reused like the tables and the tools.
3) What is a beautiful object/design/cultural practice that you admire from your home country that has been created/in-production or enacted for longer than fifty years? Write a brief description (around a paragraph) about this object/practice’s history on your Learning Portfolio and explain what you think makes it so resilient (able to still be used/enjoyed/maintained for over 50 years). What are 10 systems (of air, water, energy, material) that this object/practice relies on to exist? Are any of these systems threatened by climate change? Include an image on your LP and bring the object with you to class next week (if possible) for presentations.
Chinese calligraphy is an amazing culture artistic practice that I admire. Also, I learned it for several years when I was a kid. There are different fonts of calligraphy which is from more rigid form to scratchy ones. It shows the process of Chinese characters transformed from ancient Chinese to modern one. In modern situation, Chinese calligraphy often get mounted to be used as an artwork decorated on the wall. Nowadays, there are still many professional Chinese calligraphist set up exhibitions for their works. Because calligraphy is considered as an art extension from the characters, it becomes a part of culture, which supports it to maintain such long time.
10 systems
For the brushes which is used for writing, there is a process from growing bamboo to bamboo rod.
The brushes tip is usually made of hair of sheep or wolves.
The black ink needs rocks and other material to make it.
For the paper, it is made of wood for sure.
Also, for the paper, it needs large amount of water during the paper-making process.
Usually, for the formal artworks of Chinese calligraphy, there is often a red seal mark near the signature. For the seal, it is made from rocks like jade.
For carving the seal, it needs water and other rock-made tools to create the seal marks.
For the one which hangs on the wall, it is often put in a glass layer with wooden frame. Glass is also made of sand or rock material.
For wooden frame, it is made of trees.
After creating the artwork, brushes need to be washed with running water.
