Through a series of gatherings, Sadia invites local residents to get together over a cup of tea and share stories, experiences, play games and make together. Each gathering focuses on sampling different types and blends of teas, using tea as a starting point for conversation, care and unity.

Tea is often associated with ritual and ceremony, an instrument of self-care, but also has a complex history wrapped up in imperialism and colonialism.

Reflecting on the stories, memories and cultural rituals shared during the sessions, a unique blend of tea for Becontree produced, Becon-tea, which is shared at the pop-up tea salon, activating the house as a space of refuge.

 Sadia Ur-Rehman is a visual artist based in Redbridge, London. Sadia’s practice is rooted in the local and explores the multifaceted relationship between people, place and the idea of home.

Sadia creates temporary interventions in spaces, these could last a few hours, days, months or even years. These spaces operate as places for people to meet, share, learn, create and generate experiences. Sadia creates site responsive work that initiates conversations and interactions, often bringing people together through events, installation and the use of moving image and text.

Recent projects have used tea as a connector to bring people together. Sadia established and ran The Creative Café, a pop-up café, gallery and creative workspace on the Marks Gate estate in Dagenham with a team of local residents from 2015-18.