Ch(ik)a

fourth year STUDIO WITH BILL PECHET

GASTOWN, VANCOUVER, BC

February 1, 2023

As a play on traditional tea leaf readings, an alchemist recycles used tea leaves provided by their clientele to create biodegradable plastic from which fortunes of the future are deciphered. Dyed naturally with a glycerin solution, the sheets act as tangible constellations of past fortunes and are layered onto a wooden frame that starts off empty. Ch(ik)a accommodates the program of metaphorically and literally “spilling the tea” as one requests a reading in exchange for information. As an ode to the Filipino and Chinese cultures from which our form, ritual, and design took inspiration, the alchemist invites one to have an intimate conversation or “Chika” over a cup of “cha (茶)”.

Materials: Bioplastic, Tea Leaf Waste, Wood, Water

In collaboration with Shelly Ugalino and Elizabelle Su