Traces of Passage, 2024


Inspiration and Context



Artwork 1: Rita Renata Veres - Notional State of Existence, 2023, Wall-hanging sculpture. 500 x 40 cm Machine sewed used tea filters, white cotton thread. Installation view.
This experiment builds upon a previous project I developed during my BA course. My earlier work involved creating imaginary realms that blurred the distinction between human and non-human entities, challenging Aristotle’s concept of Hylomorphism and its hierarchal view of Nature. In Notional State of Existence (2023), I repurposed herbal tea filters collected from local restaurants into fabric like materials and tapestries, advocating for a socio-cultural sustainability and an ecological mindset.


Theoretical research


Olfactory experiences & Episodic Memory

In this iteration, I explored how meaning evolves when contextualised differently and examined through varied perspectives. Focusing on remnants of herbal tea filters – such as ginger-turmeric, mint and forest berry – I investigated their potential to evoke episodic memories through multisensory dimensions and identity construction.

Ward (2014) explains that episodic memories consist of sensory, emotional and verbal components interconnected across the brain. The process of recalling these memories involves partially reconstructing the original sensory and contextual elements, a process likened to mental time travel. This notion of situating episodic memories to capture fleeting moments where time and space interconnect inspired my experimentation with tea remnants.

Keller (2014) and Stevenson (2014) highlight odours as uniquely powerful in evoking emotional and psychological reactions. Stevenson (2014) emphasises their visceral and emotive impact, which creates a profound sense of reality and presence. Keller (2014), however, notes the dynamic nature of odour molecules, which are constantly in motion and cannot be anchored to a specific space, making olfactory experiences challenging to control. I found this transience a compelling metaphor for my material experiments, reflecting the uncontrollable beauty of nature. Odour molecules, as invisible yet powerful entities, embody a sense of playfulness and impermanence, the presence in absence that aligns with my creative aims.




Practice-based Research


Multisensory Memories


Used, oven burnt ginger-turmeric tea filters. 2.5 x 5 cm each.
Heater dried ginger-turmeric tea filters. 2.5 x 5 cm each.
Dissected ginger-turmeric tea filter, showing steps of transformation.


Opening used and dried ginger-turmeric tea filter. 10 x 15 cm

Drying ginger-turmeric tea filters.

Heater dried forest berry tea filters. 2.5 x 5 cm each
Stacked, dissected, dried forest berry filters. 10 x 15 cm each
Dissected, dried forest berry filters. 10 x 15 cm


While collecting ginger-turmeric tea filters, I focused on those I drank myself or shared with my partner during moments of relaxation. Interestingly, the scent of ginger and turmeric now evokes emotions tied to him – a floating sense of peace and serenity, I also gathered tea filters from classmates, encapsulating shared memories of tea as retreat, as well as from a local restaurant known for its afternoon tea, where the experiences were unknown to me. I became intrigued by how these migrating scents elicit unique responses in each individual encountering them.

During the removal of herbal tea and the opening of the fabric, I noticed that while the filters initially appeared similar, their interactions with the infusion process left district marks and patterns. The interplay of heat, water and motion shapes their visual identity, which paralleled their olfactory uniqueness. This led me to explore whether this ‘waste’ material, imbued with histories, could be transformed into embodiments of experiences, emotions and identities.

I applied various drying methods: some filters dried at room temperature over days, others were exposed to extreme heat at over 200 degrees, burning within minutes, and some dried near a heater, floating weightlessly in the warm air. These methods left distinct burn marks and patterns, altering the filters’ identities to reflect their interactions with extreme heat. Some filters tore apart, while others retained impressions of tea leaves burn into their surfaces. The uncontrollable nature of these processes deeply fascinated me, revealing new dimensions and layers of beauty.

Through this material experiment, I found a metaphor for migration – how trauma shapes identities while preserving the potential for transformation, healing and hope. For me, these remnants of herbal tea filters, became living embodiments of memory, resilience and the capacity for change.




Thread of Life


Machine sewed mint tea filters 20 x 60 cm
Machine & hand-sewn mint tea filters 20 x 60 cm (close-ups)
Machine sewn mint tea filters 20 x 60 cm (close-ups)


Embroidery and needlework are skills I have inherited from my mother and are recurring methods I use in my artistic practice. During my research for Kalocsa embroidery experiments, I explored the magical and mythological significance of threads, often symbolised as the ‘thread of life’, representing the very fabric of existence that holds body and soul together (Stevenson, 1999).

Stevenson 1999 suggests that, ancient concepts can be adapted to modern materials, just as modern language incorporates ancient metaphors. For instance, the ‘worldwide web’ mirrors the Anglo-Saxon belief in gossamer thread linking all things across time as space. This concept of interconnection, with its multidimensional and layered existence, inspired my materials experiments sewing the remains of my tea filters into a fabric.

I experimented with various types of stitches, including straight, zigzag, stretch and edge stitch, some hand-sewn some machine-sewn. I found that the straight stitch allows the patterns and textures of the tea fabrics to remain the focal point while delicately holding these bodies together.




Development


Mixed tea filters. Configuration experiments. 150 X 50 cm
Mixed tea filters. Configuration experiments. 150 X 50 cm
Mixed tea filters. Configuration experiments. 150 X 50 cm


Opening used and dried ginger-turmeric tea filter. 10 x 15 cm

Drying ginger-turmeric tea filters.

I experimented with different configurations of tea filters in their modular stage to explore how colour might add dimensions or break the linear, rectangular shape. However, feedback highlighted that this introduced unintended connotations, such as resembling chessboards or medieval flags, which I agreed were not aligned with my intentions. Consequently, I chose to focus on building landscapes through textures and patterns. Given my distinctive colour palette, I decided to keep colours separate and explore their interaction through the installation technique.




Installation / Group crit.





Black&White sketch of installation plan within the gallery.
Floor-plan of gallery layout.





Traces of Passage, 2024, Machine sewed, used tea filters, white cotton thread. 600 x 40 cm. A to B Gallery - Installation view.
Traces of Passage, 2024, Machine sewed, used tea filters, white cotton thread. 500 x 40 cm. A to B Gallery - Installation view.




Traces of Passage, 2024, Machine sewed, used tea filters, white cotton thread. 500 x 40 cm. A to B Gallery - Installation view. Close-up
Traces of Passage, 2024, Machine sewed, used tea filters, white cotton thread. 600 x 40 cm. A to B Gallery - Installation view. Close-up.



Traces of Passage, 2024, Machine sewed, used tea filters, white cotton thread. 500 x 40 cm. A to B Gallery - Installation view. Close-up



Traces of Passage, 2024, Machine sewed, used tea filters, white cotton thread - in motion. 500 x 40 cm. A to B Gallery - Installation view. Close-up



Through the installation of these fabrics, I aimed to suspend them like bodies in motion – playfully coursing through space, navigating dimensions of ascent and descent. This approach invited viewers to fully experience their multifaceted forms, walking around, beneath and within them, stepping into a world of alternative possibilities.

I discovered a profound harmony between this work and the vapes, both inhabiting the same space yet offering distinct sensorial experiences. While the vapes aimed to embody motion and transience, celebrating the playfulness and musicality of communal resonance within our spiritual existence, the suspended fabrics aimed to engage the olfactory senses, capturing fleeting moments where time and space interlace. Together, they create and ‘existential elsewhere’ offering an alternative vision of reality – a shared space where collective and personal histories converge, inviting deeper reflections on our entangled, interconnected and magical humanity.

The audience’s interactions with the work were deeply inspiring. Many were drawn to gaze upward, as though looking beyond the constraints of the physical gallery, their attention shifting towards an expansive elsewhere.

Some feedback revealed how the lightweight fabrics came alive in response to movement- whether from a passing viewer or the breeze of an open window. These fabrics swayed and danced, transforming the gallery space into a scene of constant motion, -- a playful, joyous celebration of life itself. For me, this interplay felt like a hopeful ode to the magic and wonder of our shared existence.





Bibliography

Keller, A. (2014) ‘The Scented Museum in The multisensory museum: Cross-disciplinary perspectives on touch, sound, smell, memory and space. Edited by Levant, N. and Pascal-Leone, A. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 167-175.

Stevens, H.M. (1999) The myth and magic of embroidery. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. pp. 11-19.

Stevenson, J.R. (2014) ‘The Forgotten Sense’ in The multisensory museum: Cross-disciplinary perspectives on touch, sound, smell, memory and space. Edited by Levant, N. and Pascal-Leone, A. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 273-283.

Ward, J. (2014) ’Multisensory Memories’ in The multisensory museum: Cross-disciplinary perspectives on touch, sound, smell, memory and space. Edited by Levant, N. and Pascal-Leone, A. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 151-163.