1999 – mirrors, green tea, porcelain
In the heart of the Romantic garden lies the Tea House, a whimsical structure that dates to Giovanni Gambini’s landscaping. Inside this structure, Karavan installed a permanent work as part of his four special exhibitions held by the SMAC (Metropolitan System for Contemporary Art, promoted by the Tuscan Regional Government) in 1999. The Tea Ceremony connects the intended function of Gambini’s Tea House to the profoundly spiritual Japanese rite.
Inside the second floor room, a mirrored surface serves as a table for the ceremony. The reflection of the room and its painted wall decoration creates depth and a sense of ambiguity. A large cone of green tea rises from the center of the “table”, while each place is set with a seven-sided small bowl of white porcelain. On the floor in front of every cup sits a white cushion in the same material, which echoes the shape of the room. The installation is visible only from the outside through the large French window on the balcony. On the other side of the glass, seven pairs of ceramic Japanese sandals seem to hint that the celebrants have already entered the sacred space and perhaps have already dematerialized during the rite.
