Tea bags are simple pouches that shelter fragments of aromatic leaves. When submerged, their bodies swell and release stored life; a treasure of tannins infuse the water with pastel hues and permeate the air with sobering scents. Tea warms the soul and is a source of comfort and reflection.

Abandoned on napkins, tea bags persist on exuding life long after being disposed of. Their bodies, moist and warm, continue to bleed onto the absorbent napkins a rainbow of colors, generally unnoticed and unappreciated.

This essay was born soon after an impassioned affair suddenly ended. To pay homage to this lover and give tribute to those who come along to infuse their partners with new life, I pointed my lens on the humble tea bag. The work was cathartic. I looked deep into the tea bag, an exemplary metaphor for the self: a porous shell representing the body; herbs for the emotive or soul within; and string—(one end tethered to the bag, the other to a cardboard tag bearing its unique brand or an advertisement), for the fibers and invisble messages that tie us to one another.

I began by collecting an assortment of rectangular, square, and round bags in a variety of flavors, and intitially photographed them with black and white film, individually and in pairs, then digitally colorized the photographs. The resulting work fit into two categories: the first spoke to the life cycle of relationships, the other (a small subset), represented blossoms.

For the main 'relationship' set, I molded tea bags into figures to simulate the dance of courtship and union—conveying joy, ecstasy, heartbreak, alienation, torment, pregnancy, birth, and family. And because I like to believe that the love we yearn for will ultimately arrive, I ended the series with a triumphant pair, bound to one another, yet each proud, strong and independent.

The collection celebrates the music of a lover’s body and illustrates the rich, often complex emotional give and take inherent in all relationships. By careful observation of the digitally added colors, the reader can map the spiritual interplay of one soul upon another.

For the 'blossoms' set, I shaped bags into botanical specimens— these are the last eight in the essay.

Come, let loose your imagination and enter this landscape of play and make-believe.

Abraham Menashe
New York City, 2004