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A Versatile Tea Salon ' T h e r e is a subtle charm irresistible alization... arrogance simpering harmony, human and capable in the of idethe unbroken lineage from 17th century. The world of tea as experienced in the gallery includes a wide array o f sampling and drinking o f the beverage: Orange Pekoe. Earl Grey, Irish Breakfast, Jasmine, A s s a m , Darjeeling, Ceylon, and perhaps even and Gunpowder, green Matcha, sweet Indian or salted Tibetan Chai and various A n g l o and Amerindian herbal infusions. These different teas, from modest and familiar to exotic and costly, w i l l be served at various times in the gallery/salon. --by Jacquelyn Ménard People are welcome to gather, look at works of art, view the 'television' programs (videos) and listen to The collaborative exhibition World contemporary or techno-tribal music. Indeed, it is the purpose of this exhibition/event to stimulate the senses, and World Tea Party includes most of Tea Party, at Presentation House Gallery from September 17 to October 27, presents the social and cultural mission o f tea within an "Take some more tea," the March Hare said to Alice very earnestly. "I've had nothing yet," Alice replied in an offended tone, "so I can't take more."Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland, 1892. Original illustration by, John Tenniel from the 1902 reprint interactive and archetypal tea salon. Conceived by visual/media artists Daniel Dion, Bryan M u l v i h i l l and Su Schnee, in collaboration with composer M a r c Patch, the project transforms itself each time according to the realities of the place and time it manifests. Following presentations o f the project in Ottawa (1993) and Venice (1995). Vancouver's World Tea Party at Presentation House offers a West Coast multicultural cup brewed for and offered to our diverse local communities. Tea was first used in China in the third century as a substitute for wine and then more prolifically after 708 B C for its alleged medicinal values. Today this beverage is consumed at the rate of 1.5 billion cups a day around the world. Praised as an antidote for fatigue and a stimulant for the spirit, tea also enhances the art of conversation. The tea ritual and ceremony occupied an honoured place in Chinese culture and still does in Japan, with an them: taste, sight, hearing and smell, allowing for a transformative meeting space. The "living room" environment offers a wealth of tea-related artifacts, paintings, historical and contemporary photographs, Chinese and Japanese scrolls, superb or rare teawares, all from private and publiccollections, and includes video footage of round-the-world tea drinking ritual, from the White House to the streets of Calcutta. A l s o important is World Tea Party's exploration o f communication and exchange between peoples, partly taste of tea which makes it It does not have of wine, the selfof coffee, the i n n o c e n c e of the mystery order." of romanti- v i s u a l a r t s manifest through the current developments in interactive telecommunication technology utilizing video and audio archives. Devices of simultaneous transmission for instance, within or between cities, create a multidimensional environment where video images and sound emerge and interface with live performances, cultural events and tea drinking. According to one of the exhibiting artists, Bryan M u l v i h i l l . it is through the cult of tea that one can trace the history of cultural interaction with A s i a : East meets West, sometimes harmoniously, sometimes conflictually, in war and peace. Tea was forwarded by way of land and sea and was the only material and cultural influence from Asian countries that was truly respected, accepted, then appropriated by Western colonialist powers. Another aspect of tea is its quasi-universality: as the most common beverage after water, it is very democratic and egalitarian. Tea is shared by kings and queens, monks, scholars, workers, idlers and eccentrics, men, women and children. Pancultural by design and purpose. World Tea Party therefore invites individuals, associations and communities of all origins and traditions to host their own tea parties and to share their knowledge or appreciation of 'teaism' in the wide sense of the word. The exhibition is dedicated to the Unesco "World Decade for Cultural Development" and w i l l offer a large public program of special events. C a l l 986-1351 for more detailed information. C K consciousness c o c o a . . . ft inculcates purity charity, the Okakura, cism of social -- Kakuzo Book of Tea (1906). Jacquelyn Ménard is the Education Coordinator at Presentation House Gallery.