Even more moments from Table Manners...

Tara Shackell Tea Cups for Me and a Friend 

I’ve never been much of a tea drinker. In fact, I rarely drink hot drinks at all.

I feel like I’m missing out on something: I love the quiet ritual of afternoon tea, the opportunity of taking a break from the workday, or catching up with friends over a cup of tea.

I’m drawn to the delicate forms of cup and saucer. I love the way the individual pieces sit together so comfortably. If I liked tea, this is how I’d drink it.

So then, this is my solution: a pair of cups for afternoon tea with a friend.

Tracey Lanesbury Tea for Two

This work is about seeing the cup and saucer as a relic. The objects (the cup, saucer and spoon) are no longer functional; they are viewed as an artefact.

The textural surface on the pieces has a rusty moss like quality as though they have been dug up from an archaeological site. 

Sachiko Mardon Spilt Milk

In the spirit of good manners, the accidental spilling of milk is not frowned upon, but put into a positive light. It’s no use crying over after all…

 Vanessa Lucas Cupscape

Is it polite to stack?

No longer do our homes have a rarely used room with a glass cabinet displaying the cups and saucers reserved for special occasions.

Living in smaller spaces the objects which decorate our homes can be the same objects used in everyday life and it’s rituals of taking nourishment

As the collection of cups I was making became increasingly tightly stacked in the available small space they began to resemble the buildings in our increasingly vertical cities - becoming a cupscape.

In this way, the cupscape reflects a change from saving the best manners and china for special occasions to now appreciating good design and handsomeness as part of everyday life.