East Frisia

The work “Ostfriesland” [East Frisia] displayed in the Eisenkunstguss Museum in Büdelsdorf is a monumental teapot-shaped construction made of wrought iron, which captivates with its contradictory nature.

The teapot, a domestic and practical object, is here lifted out of its everyday context by an exaggeration of its dimensions and instead transferred to the public space, thus challenging the viewer to create new associations.

With wrought iron, Joana Vasconcelos uses a constructively and decoratively significant material that illustrates a symbiosis between industry and art. In her works of art, the artist always refers to Portuguese culture. Thus, the elaborate design of the wrought iron lattice quotes traditional Portuguese architectural elements, such as balconies or fences, which can still be found in urban and rural areas today.

In both Portugal and East Friesia, the tradition of tea drinking dates back to the 17th century. In both cases, tea has become a defining part of the respective culture. With "Ostfriesland", Joana Vasconcelos refers to the regional and global importance of the historical tea trade routes and their impact to this day.

Thus, the teapot is also a homage to Catherine of Braganza (1638-1705), who brought tea to England through her marriage to King Charles II (1630-1685). As part of her dowry, she also contributed Bombay and Tangier, which laid the foundation for Anglo-Saxon supremacy in India.

The walk-in teapot is part of a whole series of wrought iron “pavilions” in the shape of “teapots” and “wine carafes”, which appear as symbols of man - “wine pavilion” - and woman - “tea pavilion”. The “tea pavilions”, overgrown with jasmine plants, become lovely floral sculptures.

Thanks to Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, we also associate the teapot with the tea party around the Mad Hatter and the March Hare: “Would you like some wine?” asked the March Hare. Alice looked all over the table, but there was nothing but tea on it. “I don’t see any wine,” she remarked. “There isn’t any here,” said the March Hare. By reversing the size ratios, visitors themselves, in allusion to the story, become the tea leaf in the teapot.