Tilt of the Earth 23.5º Teacup
A limited edition of hand-thrown porcelain tea cups, produced in 002018 and 002019, in collaboration with Maine potters Janna DeWan and Zachary Fields.
Tilt of the Earth 23.5º Teacup signals and responds to the highly consequential fact that the Earth rotates at an angle as it orbits the sun. The planet’s tilted spin generates continuous change that directly shapes the ongoing evolution of Earth-life. It causes the transitions from day to night as well as seasons, ocean currents, and climates. Human bodies/brains/minds literally embody these forces in our multiple biological and cultural clocks.
We offer this cup as a material tale. Its unique form both invites and accommodates a humble gesture — the drinking of tea — in a way that orients one's body and gestures toward an awareness of planetary forces. It is a means for reorienting daily life toward Earth-magnitude processes and experiencing them at the scale of local, daily-life practice. As an ecological practice, the Tilt of the Earth 23.5º Teacup helps weave modern consciousness back into the cosmos.
The foot of each cup is stamped with the kanji for tea (茶) at a 23.5º angle, and the year of production: 002018 or 002019.
Each cup is packaged with an "instruction" sheet for activating it and a handmade certificate designating its limited-edition.
Project specifications: Cone 6 porcelain with white glaze. Each cup has been hand-thrown on a wheel, measures approximately 3"x 3" and is tilted to 23.5º. Due to their handmade nature, cup shapes and sizes vary slightly. 002018 edition of 70 (SOLD OUT), 002019 edition of 89 (still available). *produced using 100% solar power.
*If shipping to an address outside the United States, please email us directly to place an order (smudgestudio@gmail.com).
poster of Tilt of the Earth 23.5º Teacup installed at documenta fifteen, September 0022022, in collaboration with Alice Yard, Trinidad and Trafo Haus.
Related FOP posts:
EARTHLY IMPRESSIONS (documentation of micro-production staged at the Henry Art Gallery, March 002019).
DRINK FROM THE TILT OF THE EARTH, 23.5º TEACUP
The cups were activated in micro-productions and/or included in the following exhibition events:
Deep Time Lab with Nina Elder, University of New Mexico Art Museum, February 002019
Tea at the Tilt of the Earth, Henry Art Gallery, Seattle. Hosted by the Cross-disciplinary Research Cluster on the Anthropocene, Earthly Impressions Symposium, Washington University, March 002019
Learn more about our production collaborators for the project: Janna DeWan and Zachary Fields, based in Portland, Maine.
