Monday, May 28, 2012

Memorial Day, Pentecôte, Life and Death

Today may be a good time to share these 2 videos I shot this winter. At first, I felt the grave, beautiful Requiem music (by Doulce Mémoire) may be too much 'bordering the mystical'! But on this day of rest and remembrance, I think they caught a fitting mood.

The tea ceremony starts like an ancient rite, a sacrifice. The leaves meet boiling water, trapped in a white gaiwan. (In China, white is a symbol for death). The slow and careful gestures add gravity, capture our attention and rest the mind.



In the second part, bright colors fill the white cups. In their ultimate death, the leaves give their best flavors. Death and life are part of the same cycle... Tea is then a further source of comfort. We can drink it in a way of communion, absorbing the 'spirit', the energy of that plant.


The view from above is peace...

1 comment:

merlin said...

Bonjour Stéphane !

Merci pour ces vidéos, c'est toujours agréable de te voir servir le thé. J'ai adopté ta méthode de faire couler l'infusion sur les parois du gaiwan pour la verser dans les coupes, car lorsque je déversais directement, la moitié (j'exagère, mais quand-même...) se répandait à côté.

Sinon, c'est un très bel article, un bel hommage à cette journée.

A bientôt,

Merlin