Shannon Johnston
Stain IIIMapStainTete a tete, FarringtonsTete a tete, Del and LauraTete a tete, JohorTete a tete, 408The Remnand
Too for Tea
In March of 2011 I moved to Perth, Western Australia. Having come from the United States, the land of the Boston Tea Party and creators of Starbucks, I was surprised to be invited to tea by a friend. This simple gesture became a turnkey moment in my cultural understanding of both Australia and America and my place and identity in both. I learned to meet my new community over cups of tea. It became how I not only got to know people but also culture and became familiar with my new neighborhoods. As I collected new experiences, people and customs I collected the remnants of these moments often it was in the form of teabags. These remnants of stepping into a new world were now my creative material. This work is a documentation of my journey into a community, not just a new country. Through my creative process and practice I seek to bring new life and new identity to my material by mimicking what has happened within the moments this materials were found in.