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Gallery exhibition pays homage to the tea cup

An innovative art installation at Latrobe Regional Gallery is not only turning heads, but is also providing people with an opportunity to remember loved ones and deal with grief.

By City of Latrobe - 1st March 2005 - Back to News

Gallery Director, Louise Tegart said that Eltham-based artist Julie Tipene-O’Toole’s ‘From the Tea Cup’ paid homage to the age-old ritual of sharing thoughts, feelings and experiences over a cup of tea.

"The artwork features numerous teacups, old and new, big and small with messages, anecdotes and recollections written on paper tags and left inside the cups to be shared by others," Ms Tegart explained.

"Julie’s art installation is not only evocative of past experiences, but is also evoking enormous audience participation as viewers are invited to contribute their own messages about loved ones, and recollections about times shared over a cuppa," Ms Tegart said.

"The installation features approximately 200 personal handwritten stories, messages and anecdotes that have been placed in the teacups by people who have viewed or contributed to the installation. There are messages to and about children, parents and grandparents who have passed away, recollections about special moments with a favourite aunt spent sitting around the kitchen table and drinking tea from the best china," Ms Tegart explained.

"It is an interactive installation which encourages people to pick up the teacups and message tags and to respond by reading the stories that have been placed in the cups or by adding their own story to be shared by others," Ms Tegart added.

A sample of the messages that can be seen are:

"my mother taught me the first step in problem solving is a hot cup of tea and then an understanding ear, thanks mum"

and

"grandma wise grazie you beautiful old tea bag"

Ms Tegart added that the installation grew out of Julie’s interest in collecting and preserving local stories, especially stories from women and about women.

"One of the most important and often overlooked ways in which we share our family histories, experiences and important moments is over a cup of tea. The cuppa shared between friends, neighbours and across generations of family members has been and remains an important social ritual," Ms Tegart said.

"This exhibition provides a safe and accessible environment for people to put down their inner most thoughts, feelings and experiences and while people can choose to remain anonymous many put their names on the message cards," Ms Tegart concluded.

Julie has recently exhibited at the Cancer Council of Victoria’s Daffodil Day Arts Awards Exhibition, which encourages people to use art to tell others about their experience with cancer. She is currently developing ideas for a new installation to encourage more men to share their stories and experiences with others.

‘From the Tea Cup’ will be featured at Latrobe Regional Gallery until Saturday 2 April 2005 with visitors encouraged to add their own stories, which Julie will collect to record and preserve local history. Julie will be talking about her work and the stories she has gathered on Tuesday 15 March 2005 at 2.30pm at the Gallery.

The Latrobe Regional Gallery is located at 138 Commercial Road, Morwell, and is open Monday to Friday 10am-5pm, and on weekends 11am–4pm. The gallery is closed on Public Holidays. For further information about exhibitions at the gallery, please telephone 5128 5700.


Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: news@gippsland.com



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