Tea and Land Stories

research-performative storytelling with melodies and voices

Tea and Land performances are part of my research into the cultivation of land as the cultivation of volks. This ongoing research explores tea fields and how they have been used by nation states or those with power to control land; adapting lands to the cultivation of tea and thereby introducing new forms of labour and economy to the volk. Tea, as a colonial commodity, travelled from land to land. Every land has a different role and a different story. Each "Tea and Land" performances shares a different story with melody.

Tea and Land Stores are open to improvisation, imagination, and interaction with the audience. Each time a new tea is served with a new story. It has been performed in various lands, spaces, and ways since 2023, more than 12 times. Still stories aren’t the end or finished.Imagine imaginary land used to live plenty plants,Around hills exist also folks next to themUntil " one day, somebody wanted to drink some tea."Plans are planned to plant, plant.Ordered to Plant land plant planned pland."They just went to others land",Plans to Plant enn Pland

*performative, stories with melodies, digest with tea

Tea and Land, Story of Glass and Class, Performance Art Event (Pae),

Photo : Kirsten Heshusius

Tea and Land, Story of Glass and Class

Imagine an imaginary land used to live plenty plants, also folks next to them. Until one day, somebody wanted to drink some tea, so They just went to the others land, in order to…

Tea and land series are performative, stories with melodies, digest with tea. Peki, how does this connect with a glass&class ? we will see.

*kivanc storyteller, performer and na_musician. loves tea, (h)ate P*wer and n*tionaltea

Land, Story of Glass and Class.

Ieke Wrote:

kivanc used the tea trolley from the WegGeefWinkel (Give and Take Shop), where we organize this Performance Art Event. He had performed this piece a few times before, each time adapting its structure to the context of the space.
There is a gentle presence as he rolls the trolley into the half-circle of audience members. It is cozy—we are all on the same level. A piece of cloth hides what’s inside the trolley. We are introduced to tea, to the expansion of plant and land, and to the kinds of cups and glasses we drink from.
We listen to hierarchies. What do cups tell us about class? He speaks the word reality, or did he say realtea? What makes tea real tea—and what is reality? And what do we really know about the reality of tea? Then, tea is offered, served in different glasses. We drink and observe.

Thanks to @greigburgoyne2025 @mekivanc @margjeott @robert_kroos_duckfood @kirstenheshusius matie @herrieindewgw @douwebeerda @drklangendum @cultuurconcreet @circu_watte, @karolalalala_ @annemarietjevandenberg for making this possible!

De eerste performance op zondagmiddag 15 februari 2026 was van kivanc, getiteld Tea and Land, Story of Glass and Class.
kivanc gebruikte de theekar van de WegGeefWinkel, waar we dit Performance Art Event organiseren. Hij had dit stuk al een paar keer eerder uitgevoerd, telkens aangepast aan de context van de ruimte.
Er is een zachte aanwezigheid terwijl hij het karretje het halve cirkeltje van het publiek inrolt. Het voelt knus—we zitten allemaal op hetzelfde niveau. Een stuk doek verbergt wat er in het wagentje ligt. We maken kennis met thee, met de expansie van plant en land, en met de soorten kopjes en glazen waaruit we drinken.
We luisteren naar hiërarchieën. Wat vertellen kopjes ons over klasse? Hij spreekt het woord reality, of zei hij realtea? Wat maakt thee “echte thee”—en wat is realiteit? En wat weten we eigenlijk over de realiteit van thee? Vervolgens wordt de thee aangeboden, geserveerd in verschillende glazen. We drinken en observeren.