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Valentina Bevc Varl

Teaup with Saucer

Sweet

Material:
Porcelain
Description:

The cup with its saucer is crafted from very fine porcelain. The inside is white, while the outside is adorned with colorful geometric patterns, cherry blossoms, and figures of women. The rim, handle, and lip of the cup are gilded.

Size:
The height of the cup is 6cm, the diameter of the base is 12cm.
Age:
1930’s
Method of Acquisition:
The mug is owned by the family.
Item Owner, Age and Location:
Valentina Bevc Varl
, 49,
Maribor
Date of Submission:
5. 1. 2021
Story:

When I gaze at the delicate porcelain teacup, I am reminded of the ritual of drinking black tea at five in the afternoon, a treat I indulged in almost every day during my high school years. This was often a long-awaited break from the grueling study of mathematics, a subject I usually never returned to after enjoying tea in good company.

 

Back then, the push against sugar wasn't as prevalent as it is today, so I enjoyed my black tea with milk and a sugar cube. Nowadays, I drink it unsweetened, but when I want to transport myself back to those cherished times, I indulge in a bit of sweetness.

 

Yet, it wasn't just the tea that was sweet; it was the conversations shared over it, primarily with my mother and a family friend who assisted me with my math studies. He was exactly ten years older than me and ten years younger than my mother. His presence helped bridge the generational gap and brought our perspectives closer together.

 

Sometimes, a single cup of tea wasn't enough, as our discussions could veer into the realms of the sour, bitter, and spicy. While I ultimately didn't choose to study mathematics, I still eagerly embrace the challenge of savoring words over a cup of tea.

Color

Tastes appear in color systems as bipolar concepts, divided into opposites such as bitter-sweet, sour-salty and umami-kokumi. We associate sweet taste with the color orange, cyan blue with salty taste, green with sour, and magenta red with bitter. Shades of green are usually associated with growth, while yellow, orange and bright red indicate activity. On the other hand, dark red, magenta and purple symbolize slowing down, while passivity is expressed by various shades of blue.

 

dr. hc Vojko Pogačar, academic painter

Music

First, we chose musical instruments that illustrate different tastes: for the "salty" guitar (Astrid Kukovič), for the "bitter" piano (Sašo Vollmaier), for the "sour" harmonica (Dominik Cvitanič), for the "hot" violin (Andreja Klinc) and for the "sweet" flute (Asja Grauf).

 

Melodies were created spontaneously. The improvisations of the "bitter" melodies were low and legato, the "salty" were determined and articulate, the "sour" were high and dissonant, and the "sweet" were unison, slow and soft.

 

Asja Grauf, professor of flute

Movement

I experience salty as a mixture of all tastes. It awakens a pleasant, relaxed, unusual feeling in me. I associate this taste with long, emphasized and controlled body movements. Bitter is a taste that awakens confusion in me, because with each bite my body decides whether to approve of this taste or not. I associate with it fluid movement with various emphasized and accelerated movements. I can enjoy sweet for several hours a day. My body relaxes when I enjoy sweets for a long time, which cause a pleasant feeling of joy. I associate with sweet slow and easy movements. Sour usually ends quickly. Each bite causes a short shock in my body, and then disappears completely. I associate with sour taste abrupt, fast and uncontrolled movements. Hot is a taste that usually lasts a very long time. It awakens an unpleasant feeling in me that is hard to shake. These are long, strong movements and individual shorter, more intense ones that show evasion and discomfort.

 

Pina Batič, dancer

ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF TASTE

An important task of modern museums is to connect the past with the present, to introduce innovative approaches for the education of new generations and to contribute to cultural and social development.

 

Read the personal stories of the individuals who contributed their items to the Museum of Taste.

 

At the same time, we invite you to join this project yourself and participate with your contributions.