Tea Ceremony with Pacific Plastics is a UCLA-based interdisciplinary research initiative that uses chanoyu (tea ceremony) as a lens to explore histories of East-West cultural exchange and contemporary ecological issues in the Pacific Ocean. In May 2024, they held a series of debut events at the UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television, followed by pop-up performances at various galleries and organizations in Los Angeles. They are currently finishing design and fabrication for a prospective second installation in summer 2026.
Upcoming Webinar • April 7 @ Smithsonian Museum!
In this webinar, founding members will share their diverse paths to chanoyu, the process of building a tea house from scratch, and how chanoyu’s philosophy of “creative reuse” and wabi-sabi (beautiful imperfection) can help address our plastic waste and pollution crisis.