Tea Dance

Product design

Siba Sahabi has fashioned an exquisite Moroccan tea set out of paper which was inspired by the 'tea dance' of colonial days gone by.

By Jeanne Tan / 24-02-2010

The term ‘Tea dance’ can be traced back to the French colonization of Morocco. In polite Moroccan society, ladies, such as the host, her daughters or the servants, were asked to perform dances to amuse the guests who had been invited for tea.

French colonialist families adopted this idea, and a gentle waltz around the tea table during afternoon tea became the fashion. The ritual then travelled from Africa to Paris, and London followed by America. The Tea dance grew in popularity during the 1920’s and 30’s.

The 'Tea dance' collection of teapots and glasses takes its inspiration from this colonial ritual. Designed by Amsterdam-based German/Iranian designer Siba Sahabi, the pieces are made out of paper, using a technique that involves cutting, rolling and gluing. This technique results in pots, bowls and glasses that imply movement. The collection comprises eight pieces.

"Since half of my family is Iranian, I grew up in an environment where drinking tea is strongly connected with sociality and hospitality. I feel at home in this tradition and that is why this project about the Eastern tea culture has also a personal meaning to me," Sahabi explains. "I first heard about the origin of the word 'tea dance' during a trip to Morocco. It's a beautiful example how the Eastern culture inspired the Western one and in what way it had led to a new tradition. By designing a Moroccan tea set I wanted to redefine this historical fragment by linking it to contemporary design."

Wallpaper is used for its strength and resistance to light. Sahabi continues, "I was interested in adding a third dimension to paper and curious what possibilities there were besides traditional methods like origami or pulp. After experimenting with the material to learn more about its potentials, I found out about how to build sculptures by cutting, folding, rolling and gluing paper strips."

'Tea dance' is part of the exhibition 'Paperficial' on show at the gallery Craft2eu in Hamburg from 10 March until 8 May 2010.

Photography: Karin Nussbaumer