What started as a random tangent, laughing at the play on word “tea light,” is now an material st project. I was really inspired by the abacaá’s strength and form. I modeled my light after what the materials once were. The bunches of tea bag resemble the fruits of the plant and the coiled cord the stalks. The light is made up of ninety hand sewn tea bags and recycled hemp made of abacaá. While I do wish the tea bags would puff up a little more, and after experimenting with batting fluff, I felt that fluff took away from the material integrity of the piece. Other than my electrics, the entire thing is made of reused materials. I enjoyed exploring experimental mediums and materiality’s relationship to meaning.
