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Rock Tea House|
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A "tea ceremony" in the desert-
Held at exhibition as part of collaborative performance, Vision Request at A-Z West, Joshua Tree, California,
May 19, 2007.
A casual “tea
ceremony” was held at the foot of a pair of large granite
boulders in a rocky desert canyon near Joshua Tree National
Park as a part of Vision Request exhibition and performance.
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Hard
Rock Tea House
The tea ceremony
was held at the temporary ceremonial ground, Hard Rock Tea
House. A silver tarp was stretched low between the rocks
and across the overhang of the boulder over the guests at
the ceremony. Guests were seated on sandbags placed in a
circle on the sandy ground. A small fireplace was cut into
the ground with stone slates for the preparation of the
tea. Rooibos tea and Yerba Mate tea were kept cool in the
evaporation cooler constructed out of two buckets covered
with a damp cloth and served to the guests.
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The
Experience
The
boulders were located at a thirty minute walk away from
Andrea
Zittel's A-Z West. The whole
experience included walking the moderately strenuous uphill
pass in the hot and dry climate, appreciating the unique
landscape, then drinking refreshing tea together and enjoying
the conversation.
The awe-inspiring
boulder and rocky desert landscape provided nature’s
own rock garden. The unique landscape and the harsh desert
environment heightened the experience of ichi-go ichi-e.
The mutual appreciation of meeting people created a unique
and precious moment in participants’ lives –
a feat accomplished without relying on the formality of
a traditional tea ceremony, which often takes away from
the profound experience of ichi-go ichi-e, especially
for the uninitiated.
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I
wish to thank Andrea Zittel for participating in the ceremony
as well as her generosity in letting us use the A-Z West facilities
and estate. I also thank all the Vision Request artists and
friends, as well as Robert, the Joshua Tree resident, for
his help and participation during the ceremony.
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Vision
Request
The
ceremony was held at Vision Request, an exhibition and collaborative
performance hosted by Andrea Zittel and organized by Jennifer
Dudley, Sarrita Hunn, and Ben Kinsley. On Saturday, May 19th,
2007, at A-Z West in Joshua Tree, CA, the works created for
this venue by the individual artists were on view and Vision
Request culminated in a Play of Light and Shadow at twilight
The
Vision Request artists include Colleen Asper, Elena Bajo,
Katie Creyts, Benjamin Dowell, Craig Drennen, Jennifer Dudley,
Takehito Etani, Sarrita Hunn, Ben Kinsley, Yvonne Lung, Katja
Mater, Lilly McElroy, Andrew Ross, Adam Shecter, Mark Taber,
Montana Torrey, Louisa Van Leer, and Robert Wechsler.
http://www.visionrequest.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8446229@N02
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A-Z West A-Z
West, located on twenty-five acres in the California high
desert next to Joshua Tree National Park, has been the testing
grounds for Andrea Zittel's A-Z Designs for Living since 2000.
A-Z West is also the site and impetus for other ongoing public
projects, such as High Desert Test Sites, a series of experimental
art sites, and the Interlopers Hiking Club, a display of a
combination of costumes and sports.
http://www.zittel.org |
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| Photo
credits: Matthew Hughes Boyko, Yvonne Lung, and Elena
Bajo |
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