Stained and Tainted, 2001, plaster, tea, ink, dimensions variable
Stained and Tainted is a dedication piece made up of 100 teacups made of plaster, dipped in tea and branded with my female relatives name. My mother showed me, step by step, the essential process of making tea, so I could, like her serve tea to my relatives, guests and elders. In the Pakistani culture, serving tea is a sign of obedience and respect towards the one being served. But many times, the ones who serve are women, while the men are the ones being served., I individualized each teacup by placing the names on each, dedicating it to the hands of its owner. Each teacup characterizes one female relative. The teacups vary from the perfectly shaped cups that distinguish those women who follow the tradition to the dusty remains of some teacups to identify those who loathe the tradition of serving tea. Yet among the dusty remains and broken pieces, the teacups stack up high, leaning against each other and creating layers and piles for support to reach higher than the teacup below. Stained and Tainted offers a placement and seating for each of my female relatives to give them an opportunity to gather together and break tradition.
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Stained and Tainted is a dedication piece made up of 100 teacups made of plaster, dipped in tea and branded with my female relatives name. My mother showed me, step by step, the essential process of making tea, so I could, like her serve tea to my relatives, guests and elders. In the Pakistani culture, serving tea is a sign of obedience and respect towards the one being served. But many times, the ones who serve are women, while the men are the ones being served., I individualized each teacup by placing the names on each, dedicating it to the hands of its owner. Each teacup characterizes one female relative. The teacups vary from the perfectly shaped cups that distinguish those women who follow the tradition to the dusty remains of some teacups to identify those who loathe the tradition of serving tea. Yet among the dusty remains and broken pieces, the teacups stack up high, leaning against each other and creating layers and piles for support to reach higher than the teacup below. Stained and Tainted offers a placement and seating for each of my female relatives to give them an opportunity to gather together and break tradition.
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