[Tea Ceremony at 2007 ITP winter show]

Project Concept
Tea ceremony provides new way of meditation to find relaxation and harmony with nature. People in fast-paced New York City usually drink a cup of coffee or tea at Starbucks or rush out to go somewhere with their cups in hand. However, in Korea the approach to enjoying their tea is with relaxation in mind. The traditional Korean setups of the tea table is in a tea house usually in the garden where can enjoy all four seasons of nature.

Based on the concept of the traditional Korean tea ceremony, this project was inspired by the appreciation for enjoying tea in nature. The core of the nature element is water because tea is made by water. Furthermore, drinking tea allows people to purify their body and mind. The visualizations are based on the concepts related with water; 4 abstract images inspired by Korean calligraphy. This was recreated in a programming language, Processing to create an interaction with tea ceremony set.

Tea Images - Korean Calligraphy

drizzle	shower	fog	snow

Tea Images - Processing

drizzle	shower	fog	snow

This project is ideal for one or two user in a quiet room where a large screen is placed on the wall. The user pours tea into a teacup, and then experiences the drizzle of spring rain, followed by heavy shower of summer, fog and early bird chirping in autumn and snow with an owl singing in winter. The relaxing music and warm green tea helps the users release stress and meditate their spirit.