Amidst the noisy Chinese New Year celebrations, it becomes more important than ever to find some time to relax and take stock of life and all that’s going on. Sometimes, it’s akin to tuning an instrument, and finding the right note, something that Malaysian multidisciplinary duo Aiwei Foo and Kent Lee are happy to help out with in their Shaman Tearoom project.

Performing their show Microcosm – a sonic tea ceremony as part of the Esplanade’s 2024 Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts, Shaman Tearoom’s presentation is all about the art of healing. Accompanied by percussionist Yoong How Thong, over the performance, audience members can enjoy musical improvisation alongside a tea ceremony, as they immerse themselves in sound and tea, as they journey into one’s own existence, and how it evolves along with the world around us. 

Speaking to Aiwei and Kent, we found out a little more about Shaman Tearoom’s origins, and what audience members can expect from the performance. “It all started from me actually, where my artistic practice dealt with tea as a medium, where I would convert spaces like fitness corners and staircase into makeshift tearooms, inviting strangers to sit down and have tea together,” says Aiwei. “To me, it’s about breaking the boundary between art and life, going beyond performance art to also drawing people closer.”

Even prior to her tearoom practice, Aiwei had already been experimenting with food as a medium, with works such as 2019’s Advanced Dining, and using it to invoke people’s thoughts and feelings about the concept of self. “To me, it’s important to promote this idea of mindfulness, and find space and time to retreat within yourself,” says Aiwei. “And so after returning to Malaysia, I was looking for potential collaborators, which led me to Kent, who I’ve known for many years and after an initial session, where I brewed tea while he improvised, we decided to carry on with the project together.”

“Essential, it’s a project that’s all about experimentation and experience, and so important to experience live in the same room, to enjoy tea and the music together, and really inspire the creation of conversations,” she adds. “Especially in the wake of the pandemic, it became more important than ever to find inner peace through a healing ambience and a reminder to slow down and cultivate more mindfulness and well-being, and help others help themselves.”

While an ancient practice, sound healing has only recently gained traction around the world, and is relatively new to most audiences. “When people come to see our shows, most don’t know what to expect. Some have experienced sound baths before, but this is a show that contains so many different elements, and provides emotional relief as well,” says Kent. “While we’re not shamans per se, we’re taking the word to refer to its role as a healer, and also, our Chinese name 山門茶寮 translates ‘shaman’ to ‘door of the mountain’, where we refer back to how there was a strong association with temples and mountains, and our own art is also spiritual in nature.”

Even as an improvisational work, both Kent and Aiwei have specific rituals and practices to help them prepare for each performance. “Sometimes we do have to prepare our minds and bodies, to feel grounded and quiet our mind, perhaps through a sound or spoken word,” says Kent. “There’s both structure and space to play within the performance itself, and what’s most important is reading the audience and finding the right way to perform on the day to connect with them and create the right vibe, playing with peaks and drops accordingly. We try to find a meditative journey they can join us on, and find more balance in life.”

As its title suggests, Microcosm is really about raising that awareness of ourselves and our place in the universe, and the concept of connectedness and ‘interbeing’, harking back to Laozi’s philosophical text, the Tao Te Ching. “We’re interested in our relationship with the cosmos, and especially this concept of interbeing, which considers how everything is linked to each other – think of how paper contains sunshine, because it is made from a tree that could only grow because it absorbed sunlight,” says Aiwei. “Taking that even further, think of the paper mill which the paper originated from, and the loggers who felled the trees, who in turn are connected to their parents, all of which are linked and contained within just a single piece of paper. We are all our own microcosms, containing universes within ourselves, and by considering that, we can in turn better appreciate our own relationship with the world around us.”

“If you refer back to the Tao Te Ching, it suggests how we are already still connected to the world without even having to open the window, and there are so many other philosophies in the text that are still relevant in today’s age, that we hope more people become aware of as well,” she adds. “The goal really is to ultimately help people become aware of their senses and their mind, when they can relax and find introspection for reflection and thought, to overcome the chaos and find good vibrations.”

In terms of their own practice, both Aiwei and Kent have found greater peace within themselves ever since embarking on the project. “When I was still lecturing at Temasek Polytechnic, I was a dedicated coffee drinker and stressed all the time, but when I went into a tea shop one day, the master showed me how good tea could taste, which inspired me to start to learn about tea brewing, and just really help me find this way to be in the moment, instead of always having my head in so many places at once,” says Aiwei. “We’re much more aware of our emotions and bodies these days, and discomfort prompts us to try to relax more through meditation, or find time to do a forest bath, or even go camping to calm down and reconnect with nature to release all that tension, and I want people to be able to find that same sense of peace at our performances.”

“I started off my music career a a self-taught artist by singing in cafes, and then moved on to performing in pubs and bars in Kuala Lumpur. My journey was always about seeing and learning from people in society, and constantly widening my perspectives, which then led me to providing music for theatre and contemporary dance as well,” says Kent. “There came a point where I didn’t really take care of my body and I’d experience a lot of anxiety and panic attacks, and that led me to start re-exploring ways to counter that and set myself on a path to becoming better again. So together with Aiwei, we’ve met more people, good people willing to share and guide you, and you learn to let go of your ego and listen, and have these conversations and sharing with others to expand your own mind.”

As for their wish this Lunar New Year, Aiwei concludes with a simple blessing: “We hope that people will continue to be in good health, to be blessed and happy regardless of what’s in store for them, and that the audiences come in with a clear mind and that they can feel our good intentions in the performance,” says Aiwei. “To be able to transform the negative energy they hold into positive energy instead, by focusing on their breath and awareness of the self. We’re only human, but if we want to make change happen, it starts from quieting down, looking within, and letting the healing process begin.”

Microcosm – a sonic tea ceremony plays from 16th to 17th February 2024 at the Esplanade Annexe Studio. Tickets available here

Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts runs from 16th to 25th February 2024 at the Esplanade. Tickets and full programme available here