Between Brew and Bin is my way of appreciating and celebrating the finer details of the growing, preparing, brewing and enriching experience called ‘tea’. When I hold a cup of this healing elixir in my hands, I see all of nature. As I close my eyes, I find green mountains and pure water within me. When I savour my tea silently, I feel these become a part of me.
When it comes to tea, we often forget the contribution of the tea growers & factory workers towards our lifeline ‘chai’. With their patience and dedication, they ensure that we always get the right kind of leaf. The steep landscapes, the harsh weather conditions…they brave it all and always wear a big, heart-warming smile.
The aroma of the tea, the texture, the warmth, the comfort, the soothing vibes are all stories of the tea growers and also of the drinkers. Each teabag used here carries one such story in its heart. Between Brew and Bin is thus a creative effort to give a longer life to these stories and is my heartfelt tribute to tea workers.
Between Brew and Bin is also a way of supporting my belief that ‘Trash is the failure of imagination’. Trash is a human invention, a concept that does not exist in nature. Through industry and technology, we have created inventions and innovations that make our lives easier, faster and more convenient, but the trade-off is often to the detriment of the environment.
I have taken up this intriguing challenge of creating unique art from used teabags to add a perspective of value to this trash (otherwise destined to the bin). Giving these discarded teabags a new and extraordinary life as an artwork is a demanding yet gratifying process.
It is highly interactive and prompts the viewers to question the reality of what they see and to reconsider the value and function of the objects that they throw in the bin. If we can teach our children to honour nature’s gifts, the joys and beauties of the outdoors will be here forever.
Ritu Dua 