The Way of Tea (work in progress)

Presented by Pants for Panthers (←it is their band name)
        A performance experience of 10-30 min
        4 speakers, 2-4 tea stations, 2-4 performers

This performance combines two distinct cultural traditions: Gongfu Cha and the Western experimental music tradition. Gongfu Cha is guided by thousands of years of people brewing and enjoying tea together. The sonic space created by the sound waves from the speakers draws on this Western tradition, looking toward the work of composers like La Monte Young (Dream House), Pauline Oliveros and her Deep Listening practice, as well as Maryanne Amacher, whose work explored psychoacoustics and music.
A tea ceremony is an event focused on drinking tea. We will be practicing Gongfu Cha, a tradition that originated in China during the Song Dynasty (1000 AD). While there is a ritualistic element to preparing and drinking the tea, Gongfu Cha is not a highly formal practice—more than anything, it's meant to be enjoyable. The audience will get to smell, taste, and experience several different types of tea. Throughout the event, sets of sine tones will play from four speakers positioned around the room, and the audience is free to move between tea stations and around the space to experience how their perception of the sound shifts.
SETUP
  • Green tea is made from the leaves and buds of Camellia sinensis that have not undergone the withering and oxidation process used to create oolong and black teas.
  • Pu-erh tea comes from Yunnan, China, made from a variety of Camellia sinensis native to the region. The tea undergoes controlled fermentation and oxidation until the desired flavors are reached.
  • White tea refers to several styles of tea that generally feature young, minimally processed leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant.
  • Oolong tea is made from the leaves of Camellia sinensis through a process that includes withering the leaves under strong sun and allowing some oxidation to occur before curling and twisting them.
  • Herbal tea is an infusion of herbs rather than Camellia sinensis, and most varieties do not contain caffeine.
COSTUME