The object I chose is a small green teapot. Teapots were originally used to steep tea leaves and boiled water or were later used to boil water and to be poured over tea bags into tea cups. Teapots today can symbolize storytelling and friendship, as tea is often enjoyed in the company of friends or family over chats. Tea also used to be a symbol of wealth, as it was an imported luxury that only the wealthy could afford to drink.
Teapots remind me of the use of china, the translucent glazed pottery made into plates and cups used and invented by the Chinese. It also reminds me of the trade of tea through the East India company, where tea and teapots were traded from China to the UK and British colonies. Lastly it reminds me of the Boston tea party, where colonists dumped tea into the Boston harbor as an act of rebellion against the British.
I want to explore the idea that the first models of teapots used to crack and explode due to the hot water and the thin walls of the pot. I could maybe symbolize this by smashing a teapot mold then putting it back together. I also want to explore the idea that tea and teapots symbolized wealth, as I could maybe paint the teapots gold. Lastly, I want to explore the connotation to the Boston Tea Party by maybe making the molds out of wax, then melt the wax in a way to make it look like the teapots are being dumped or melted into a body of water.
