A person can travel far.
To different cities, different views, different people.
But there is always a moment when we choose to sit down.
On the table, water. Tea. A cup.
The distance suddenly grows quiet.
This is also how we understand objects.
Objects are not decoration on the tea table.
They exist so that a cup of tea can happen more fully.
A white porcelain gaiwan.
We like its restraint.
White is in no hurry to express itself. The form of the leaf, the colour of the liquor, the way light falls and changes — all can be seen clearly.
A transparent fairness pitcher.
Glass leaves the liquor nothing to hide behind. From gaiwan to cup, colour, warmth and movement become part of the drinking.
A small tea cup.
In the end, a cup of tea arrives in the hand.
The object finishes its work, then steps back.
What matters is the tea — and the people sitting at either end of the table.
We do not wish to turn Eastern objects into symbols of nostalgia.
They can be quiet, and they can be modern.
They can come from traditional ways of use, and still belong to life today.
A good object does not need to tell you how to live.
It simply makes a moment more complete.
From far away, to the tea table.
Objects give a cup of tea its shape, and give the return a place to stay.
To return is another way of arriving.
MULAN OBJECTS
THE ART OF RETURN