Shan Tuyet tea tree (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - The first multi-media exhibitionfeaturing Shan Tuyet tea is giving visitors a chance to try a rare kind ofVietnamese tea with senses.
Entitled Tra Art, the exhibition includes installations,drawings, animated movies, photography installations and music by six artistsincluding Nguyen Tuong Van, Nguyen Quynh Phuong and Marcus Bowler, alongside TranThu Hang, Ngo Hong Quang and late illustrator and cartoonist Gerald Gorridge.
The exhibition is the fruit of a project initiated byphotographer Van who is a graduate of Gobelins Paris. Van set up the Tra Artproject when she was seeking inspiration for creative materials.
Van said she found this small pack of tea called Shan Vietwhen I went to the market in Paris, adding it struck me as being beautiful andunique.
After researching and tasting the tea for six months Van beganasking some of her artistic friends to join the project. The artists went toCao Bo commune in Vi Xuyen district in of Ha Giang province last September.They spent a week there meeting with Shan Tuyet tea makers.
Ha Giang is one of the oldest Shan Tuyet tea areas in Vietnam.These tea trees’ buds and young leaves are covered in a thin layer of snowyhair, which gives it its name.
Van built up a portfolio of photos and recordings of theancient tea trees, outlining their identity, and collecting portraits of thepeople she met throughout the trips.
One of the last paintings by late artist Gerald Gorridge. (Source: VNA) A screen showing the photos is guarded by dozens oftransparent curtains, infused with Shan Tuyet tea leaves. Visitors must passthrough the curtains, which diffuse the scent of the tea.
An installation by Hang, a sculptor and a graduate of the VietnamFine Arts University, is also inspired by the trip to Ha Giang. She has createdan installation in two parts, representing the terraced fields found in thenorthern regions.
The terraced fields are made from three layers of curtains,plaited by long bands of sponge which hang from the ceiling to the ground,creating a natural wavy affect. Visitors can walk through gaps in the curtainsto reach the next layer of the installation.
Tree roots are made from elastic tubes, stitched together toform branches of roots.
A musical composition by Ngo Hong Quang will be dedicated tothe natural landscapes of Ha Giang. The composition is mixed with soundsrecorded in the province.
The exhibition will run at the French Cultural Centre inHanoi until July 9.-VNA
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