A Participatory Artwork in Public Space

Tea in the Forest began in October 2017 as a quiet, personal artistic gesture — a small circle of found porcelain shards arranged beside a forest path. What started as a solitary act soon evolved into a shared creative space, shaped by many hands over time.

Among the first shards I found was the spout of a teapot, giving the work its name.

On my walks into the forest I would slightly alter the shards into different shapes. Sometimes I found the pieces scattered by wild boars and rearranged them. After some time I found unexpected contributions by others. Someone added a rectangle. Another left a smiley face or created a house. Blue and pink fragments appeared, transforming the site again.

Gradually, Tea in the Forest became a living artwork — an open invitation for neighbours and passers-by to engage, alter, and co-create. The line between artist and audience dissolved. Conversations began to emerge: an elderly couple who I once met at the site confessed they had rearranged the shards; another neighbour brought new pieces from home. What was once a personal dialogue with place became a collective expression of care, play, and imagination.

Today, the installation continues to change through the hands of those who encounter it. Each new contribution reflects a quiet yet powerful act of participation — a reminder that art can grow from small gestures, from curiosity, and from shared attention to the spaces we inhabit together.

Tea in the Forest celebrates community creativity in public space — how art can connect people through subtle, everyday acts of engagement and transformation.

Location: Forest near my home, Neu-Friedrichsthal, Brandenburg, Germany.