Steeped in Exploration
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Transforming cow manure from local farms into energy (methane) - a methane digester boils the water. The tea that is made is from local edible plants collected on public outings. This participatory intervention questions our current systems of living and creates an opportunity for others to participate in the (re)imaging of our world. The methane digester is an anchor and catalyst for creating new possibilities of social interactions while questioning existing ones. Anaerobic digestion is a process in which microorganisms break down biodegradable material aerobically and release methane, and can be burned to heat water for tea.
This decentralized heat generation provides context and frames the conversation for exploring the landscape and collecting edible plants. This curiously simple, yet mystifying technology, questions global issues, at the same time creates local responses to issues of sustainability and lifestyle choices. Investigating plants for tea revolves around conversations and knowledge brought by local people during the public outings, making the "invisible" visible, completing the piece. Foraging and making tea communally asks us to depart from the usual avenues of consumeristic culture and open ourselves up to a more unscripted and informal way of interacting. These actions of collecting plants from the landscape and the rituals of making tea become something much more critical, visual, and participatory, while creating a moment to take a fresh view of the landscape and the people we live with.