‘Wa’ Harmony Tea Caddy Project Booklet By Nicola Murphy
Introduction. This project is personal design project around the theme of rituals and narratives. The project is being lead along side a research report surrounding the chosen ritual. The chosen ritual that this prokect will look into is the Social Conventions of drinking Tea. Looking at this from a British perspective but also from a Japanese perspective, in these two cultures tea is seen as a big national identity. Working off this to develop a product. The brief identifies that the final product made, must consist of 3 different objects, that are made in different ways. One has to be a cast form , the other out of wood and the third object, is made in our own way.
Research. The research started with looking at the Japanese and English tea cultures, and what makes tea apart of their national identity. In the Japanese culture, it is their tea ceremony, Cha-no-yu, with the focus around the quality of the tea and how sacrade it is for the tea master to conduct the tea ceremony. Within the English culture, it is the afternoon tea ceremony, and how quintessentially it is seen as a big part of our national identity. Sitting down at 3 o’clock in the afternoon for a light bite and a cup of tea.
Research. As well as conducting secondary research, primary research was also conducted. A survey was conducted surrounding peoples opinions on tea and socialising with a cup of tea. One of the key focus surrounding this survey was if people use tea as a way of unwinding and taking breaks during the day. A lot of people said that they do take breaks to make the cup of tea but then while drinking, it tends to during work. The difference between ‘yes, I do take tea breaks’ and no, I don’t take tea breaks’. The margins are very tight, this could suggest that even though some people do take breaks they aren’t for very long. But for others they simply don’t have enough time in the day. Designing a product for quick use, or a short cup of tea would be ideal for this kind of use.
Would you use tea to help you unwind? If this is during the day, how often do you take ‘tea’ breaks?
Yes (19)
No (12)
Scenario. The scenario behind the product is going to designed around the Japanese tea ritual, looking at the different utensils that are used and implementing this in the British society. Focusing around peoples busy lives and not taking breaks during the day to sit and reflect on their day. Especially those who work 9-5 jobs, sat inside and not getting outside in the fresh air. The product will be designed to be portable, bringing people together over a cup of tea.
Development.
Developing the product through sketches, and experimenting with different processes to develop a final product.
Developing a CAD model allowed visualisations of the product, with colours and textures to get the right balance.
Product Details. The three different objects consist of; 1. A Tea Caddy which will be used not only as a kettle and small fire pit, but also a way of carrying the other items. The fire pit will be used similarly to the ‘ru’ in the Japanese Tea House, that is used to heat up the kettle. 2. Wooden Drinking Vessels, which will be shallow drinking bowls. There will be 6 bowls, enough for a small gathering of people. 3. Tea Bricks, these are designed around the principles of how the Chinese sold and transported tea into Japan. The bricks will then be crumbled in the water to create the tea. The brick will be snappable into smaller chunks, allowing the users to break off just enough. Materials and Finishes: The Tea Caddy, will be made out of earthenware ceramic, which will be made from slip cast. The wooden Drinking Vessels will be made from maple wood, which will be finished with olive oil. The Tea Bricks will be made solely from loose leaf tea, that will be moulded using a male and female mould.
The Ritual behind the Product.
Before the Tea, can be made a small fire needs to be made in the fire pit. Using small twigs that is collected on route. The kettle will then sit on top which will be where the water will go.
Once the water has boiled the tea brick can be crumbled into the water. The tea can be poured, and the users can sit back and relax with a cup of tea.
Manufacture.
Using a method of processing that I have done before included, Slip Cast ceramic to create the tea caddy, as well as creating my own tea bricks. The wooden drinking vessels will be made using the CNC machine.
Final Prototype.
Watch the Video at: vimeo.com/nicolamurphydesign/waharmonyteacaddy
During the manufacture of the caddy, key skills were development of processing a product from slip casting. Learning a new process was really interesting especially when seeing it from start to finish. However, one thing that will take away from it is that it is a very lengthy process, where time management needs to be taken into consideration.