Tea Leaf Readings, You and Co-designing Textile Artworks

Tasseography Textiles

How it works:
Working collaboratively with Becky, you will create a bespoke textile artwork for your chosen interior space, using tasseography, her own illustrated tealeaf dictionary, and a collection of bold colours. Through a ritualistic approach, you will then have a selection of three potential design outcomes for you to choose from. Having chosen your one of a kind design Becky will then make your art work, or rug to your personal specifications.

Becky’s Core Values are: Costs

Attention to detail 45cm x 55cm - £150
Ethically sourced, high end yarns A2 - £300. A1 - £400
Traditional Methods and approach 1 meter x 1 meter - £500
Bespoke handcrafted textiles 1 meter x 1.5 meter - £550
Unpredictable and personalised rugs 2 meter x 1 meter - £650 plus
2 metre x 1.5 metre - £800 plus

Rug prices (approximate based on chosen yarns). Larger Rugs/artworks - price on application/discussion.

Tapestry Weavings - Price per Item / Gallery / Online Store

Textile Design (2021) How can tasseography, as a generative participatory design process, encourage participants to co-design bespoke textile outputs?

Abstract (Updated May 2020)- My current Textile Design project has begun exploring how divination and tea leaf reading can be used as a generative participatory design method (Sanders. 2007) to produce textile designs. To date I have worked with 38 participants to begin to explore the traditional ritual practice of tea leaf reading, considering the idea of future, community, togetherness (Bamana 2015), spirit and future now. Through this project I will chart my journey towards plans for a group of textile works that focuses on positive wellbeing through colour, texture and form. I will outline the newly conceived generative participatory design process, which can be explained as “A … process [that] does not “reinforce how things are now” or “conform to cultural, social, technical and economic expectation” …. [but] focuses on the creation of tools that non-designers can use to express their dreams (or fears) for the future.” (Sanders 2007). I will introduce a newly created set of generative tools that facilitates the development of a shared language between myself as the designer and my participants, exploring an infinite number of ideas through a set of stimuli. The ultimate aim to create authentic, bespoke abstract textile art works. I will touch on issues of wellbeing through the idea of ‘knowing’ our ‘now’ and future, how divination has been, and is used as a visualisation, narration and interpretation method to create a sense of ‘self’ and future self (Tedlock 2001), drawing on Bamana’s writings of Mongolia’s Tea Practices to contextualise the practice of drinking tea as the focus of female power, and ultimately draw parallels with my immediate surroundings and practices.

For updates on progress please either click my Instagram link @beckydodmandesign for project updates.

SUB ArtJournal will be publishing an article in June/July discussing the initial stages of this research.