The Harvester of Tea and Truth…

I am hoping to have three of these special souls in the Quirk show.

For the past few years I’ve been collecting antique tea strainers on my road trips in and around South Africa and people have sent me some as they knew I was collecting. I found some pretty special ones too and they make the perfect frames and holders for these little Guardians.

It has been a delightful project.

It’s a project and concept I started playing with a while back around the saying… “Spill the tea or T” … meaning share your personal Truth, secrets, or what’s really going on. Then more recently used to mean share the gossip or story. I wanted to use the tea strainer metaphorically… as the vessel that catches the tea leaves (story) and allows the liquid to flow through and catches what must not flow over. In essence, the gatekeeper, deciding what passes through and what remains hidden. Inserting a clay soul into the strainer personifies the tea strainer to that of a Guardian… A Guardian of the Truth.

The Harvesters of Tea and Truth… the collectors of untold stories (they gather but don’t betray). The silent witnesses of truth (they listen without judgement).

It’s clear their role is sacred and important.