Meet Me at the Upside Down Table

‘Meet Me at the Upside Down Table’ Tyler Moorehead, 2018.

Interactive tea experience in a community arts space adjacent to Southwark underground station, London SE1.

inspired by Japanese tea ceremonies and board game play, the installation draws on the 1906 english text Book of Tea, by Okakura Kakuzo.

The title refers to the uncovering of tables - and truths, relegating tablecloths to a role as hanging sculptures and bench supports to encourage visitors to do as the text advises and ‘cherish their unpolished selves'.

Encounters are designed based on 4 guiding principles of Japanese tea ceremonies: harmony, respect, purity and tranquility. Sessions are guided by table cards positioned at stations in front of all 4 benches allowing visitors to progress through structured but relaxed conversations over tea.

Photos: Bernadette Baksa

Meet Me at the Upside Down Table

Plywood, recycled felt, vegetable tanned leather, vintage lace and linen textiles.

At the centre of the installation is a bespoke ‘tea table’ in the form of an esoteric board game. The table was inspired by origami with leaves designed to function as a magical valise. Handmade cards guide the session.

Guidance card and sample items concealed below the flaps in the tea table designed and fabricated by the artist.

Designed for participation

As a site-specific installation in a disused cork factory adjacent to a London Underground station, the work reached out to people living, working and passing through a cultural and commercial hub in London, SE1.

MEET ME AT THE UPSIDE DOWN TABLE

Observers peer through hangings of sculpted lace and linen tablecloths to watch progressive tea ceremony unfold.

Testimonial following visit to the Upside Down Table experience