Boston Tea Party

2007

Boston

Tea Bag:

Twinings tea tin trolley

Tea Bag

Made from the tins of Twining's Earl Grey tea, we drank whilst living in Washington D.C..

Hussif

The Tea Bag takes its design from a hussif or 'housewife', which refers to a sewing kit often left on the bedside for the use of guests. Like the hussif the container opens up when the lid is removed. The Tea Bag is fitted with nostalgic tea making components including a Hudson Bay rug with three hand sewn bars. This signified that it could be traded with Indigenous Americans for 3 beaver pelts. The significance is domicile, colonisation and exchange.

Boston Tea Party

The Boston tea party 2007

In 2007 the U.S. protests continued against the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The art event was staged within sight of the ICA gallery in Boston to give it context, We sat beside the harbour on reclaimed land, where the Boston Tea Party protest of 1773 took place. I invited passersby to have a cup of tea on the rug. We discussed the Iraq invasion for the time it took to boil the kettle on a burner and drink the tea.