Tea Appreciation Society – We love tea
Shayne House
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Posts by Shayne House
A Northern Tail
Feb 3rd
This beautiful paper cutting was created by Sally Robinson, a student at the University of Leeds, in her final year of obtaining a Bachelor’s in Fine Art. Sally mainly works with paper, and this was a paper cutting which was used for an exhibition in Leeds about memories of the North of England. The title – A NORTHERN TAIL – was based on the idea that these memories forever follow us around. For Sally, tea played a large part of her nostalgia for the north. She fondly remembers visiting relatives and grandparents, stopping by each house for a cup of tea and a huge selection of biscuits – often presented on a special ‘Tea’ trolley. The patterns on the tea-pot resemble those owned by her great aunt.
If you would like to see your work featured on the Tea Appreciation Society website, and shared with over 360,000 lovers of tea and creativity on our Facebook page, simply email your contribution to shayne@lovetea.co.uk
We welcome illustrations, designs, photography, film, poetry, anything creative that is inspired by tea…
A cup of tea and a good book
Jan 20th
If you’re familiar with the Tea Appreciation Society’s Manifesto you’ll be aware that item number 7 proclaims that “We want to visit museums and libraries, encourage philosophy.”
Imagine how intrigued and in awe we were of some extraordinary scenes unfolding in Scotland last year.
Sculptures carved from paper started appearing from March 2011 in Scottish libraries.
The first sculpture had a message attached that read “We know that a library is so much more than a building full of books… a book is so much more than pages full of words.… This is for you in support of libraries, books, words, ideas….. a gesture (poetic maybe?)”
Nobody knew where it came from, nor was anyone forthcoming with information in person or online, despite a fair amount of local news coverage.
Sculptures continued to appear throughout the year and then in August 2011 one appeared at the Edinburgh International Book Festival that we at the Tea Appreciation Society really love, for obvious reasons…
The tag on this reads:
To @edbookfest (their twitter name) ‘A gift’ This is for you in support of libraries, books, words, ideas…… & festivals xx
It includes a teabag filled with cut out letters, on the tag of which are the words “by leaves we live”. The cup on the top has a swirl of words which read ” Nothing beats a nice cup of tea (or coffee) and a really good BOOK”, and on the ‘tray’ next to the cupcake it says “except maybe a cake as well”.
We are indebted to Chris Scott who spends most of his time documenting the literary scene in Edinburgh and as a result found himself the accidental biographer of the paper sculptures. You can read his excellent blog and see all the sculptures here.
Manifesto of the Tea Appreciation Society
Apr 1st
I wrote the following Manifesto back when we started the society in 2007 as an apologia to Marinetti’s polemic, the futurist’s manifesto of 1909. They were fascists and in love with the machine and violence. As co-founder of the Tea Appreciation Society I prefer to promote the benefits of philosophy, literature, music and art, and sitting down and working out our differences over a cup of tea.
To all our new followers and to all those that have faithfully come before… let us remember, and share our passion brothers and sisters.
Please stand, actually you’re fine where you are… Just make sure you’ve got a brew in your hand and repeat aloud our rousing manifesto.
- We want to sing the love of tea.
- The essential elements of our poetry will be loose leaf tea, boiled water, a tea pot, a china cup and a biscuit.
- Literature has up to now magnified idleness, and slumber. We want to exalt these slow movements of ecstasy, feverish boiling of the kettle, the pour, the perilous stir, the rattle and the clink of the spoon.
- We declare that the splendour of the world has been enriched by an old beauty: the beauty of tea.
- Beauty exists only in considered brewing. There is no masterpiece that has an aggressive character. Poetry is not a violent assault on the forces of infusion.
- We want to glorify peace – the only cure for the world – militarism, patriotism; these destructive gestures kill the beautiful ideas of the human race.
- We want to visit museums and libraries, encourage philosophy.
- We will sing of the great crowds agitated by work; the revolt, we will rejoice in the baking of bread; the polyphonic surf of revolutions in modern music as we play our ukuleles: the nocturnal vibration of the worms in our compost; our spirits suspended from the clouds by the thread of cup in sleeve tea bags; and the gliding flight of creativity whose propeller sounds like the sipping of enthusiastic tea drinkers.
To your good health.
Shayne House
Co-Founder of the Tea Appreciation Society
Slalom Tea
Mar 13th
This beautiful sunshine makes me want to put on my roller blades and do the tea slalom like our friends at Yorkshire Tea did in Miami!
That’s after I’ve had finished relaxing with my brew sat in the sunshine…
Hung, Drawn & Authored
Mar 8th
The Tea Appreciation Society are proud to support Society contributor Caroline Pedler at ‘Hung, Drawn & Authored’
The exhibition is a showcase for the MA Illustration: Authorial Practice students before their final show in September. Giving us a sneak preview of unseen work from nationally and internationally renowned illustrators as they take a step back from commercial constraints. The course focuses on students developing an authorial voice within illustration, therefore taking ownership of their own content and creative practice.
Student, and regular Society contributor Caroline Pedler said, ‘I joined the MA to allow myself the space to concentrate on creating an authorial voice, outside of my commercial career and it has been the best thing I’ve done for my career to date. Doing this show has helped focus our minds in preparation for the final show in Sept, and working with such talented creatives is really rewarding. The course has a real variety of illustrators, writers and artists and I’m really excited about seeing the work on the walls, a show not to be missed.’
‘Hung, Drawn & Authored’ runs from Mon 21st-27th March at The Poly in Falmouth. There will be a private view with refreshments and music on Thur 24th March, 6-9pm, all welcome.
A spring in your step
Mar 7th
No need to use a studio today, the light outside is magnificent. Spring is here folks.*
Grab a cup of your finest brew and head outside. Tell your boss I said it’s OK.
*Northern Hemisphere
The HaunTEAng
Oct 29th
The ‘Legendary Pink Dot Tea Set’ by Maxim Velcovsky was originally supplied by Thorsten Van Elten, for Kate Boddington’s photograph in part of a series entitled ‘The Haunting’
Kate studied Fine Art at Sheffield Hallam then Commercial Photography at The Arts Institute at Bournemouth. From Pinhole photography to commercially grounded tableau vivants, Kate’s work plays on the idea of absence to evoke loose narratives filled with intensity and suspense. She has worked for Wallpaper* Magazine, East Photographic and Marco Santucci’s to name a few, and was voted one of Wallpaper* Magazine’s graduates to watch in 2008.
Clink this link to see Kate Boddington’s portfolio
New Website Launched
Aug 15th
There we were reclining on the veranda one summer’s eve with our old friend Earl Grey when Tarquin looked up from his chez longue and pronounced ‘This Tea Appreciation Society dot org is a bit of a long URL innit?’
Well you know the fellow may actually have a point. So, faster than you could pass me another macaroon, we upped and launched www.lovetea.co.uk
After the shock of such exertion we all had to sit down and drink some hot sugary tea.
We do hope you like it.
Ooooooh and would you look at that! Now everyone KEEP CALM!
We know it’s been a while since we launched any new stuff. Mainly because we find it hard to get anything done between making tea, drinking tea and continually nipping off to the loo.
If you’re of the persuasion, why not have a gander at some of our lovely new Tea Shirts & Tea Bags in the online shopamawhatsit.
http://shop.TeaAppreciationSociety.org
Have fun!
Love from everyone at the Tea Appreciation Society
Tea Total
Jul 19th
Lucy Izzard very kindly allowed the Tea Appreciation Society to use her animation last year for a talk I gave in Bristol about tea and my forthcoming book about tea.
Here it is again for you now…
Animated look at the British obsession of Tea Drinking.
By Lucy Izzard.
Winner of the BBC New Animation Award 2005
