Urchin Kava Cup

Kava is a non-narcotic, non-addictive, mild sedative drink made from a root from the Pacific Islands and has been consumed ceremonially for over 3,000 years. It promotes deep relaxation and is traditionally drank to maintain peace and harmony during tribal gatherings, negotiations, and sometimes in everyday life to end the work day, together. It is considered medicine and is made by all people gathered in the community to strengthen social bonds and aid in relaxation.

Ceremony is an innate human instinct that brings awareness and connection to our present intentions that are not just for personal desires but in service of the collective good and for healing; it is a practice in sacred reciprocity. Rituals and ceremonies demarcate the passages of time, the changes in the seasons, rites of passages, brings community together and creates liminal space. We step into experiences that expand us beyond our imaginations, that continue the thread from previous generations, allowing the past to continue to grow through our everyday being.

In the spirit of ritual and ceremony, this ongoing series reimagines the kava communal experience from a fictitious island where water is sacred and kava is drank from the shells that wash upon the shore. It is an island that reveres the ocean as the primordial source in which life originates from.

These kava bowls are made with high-fire stoneware. The main vessel is individually wheel-thrown then hand-sculpted over multiple days before slowly drying. Once dried, it is high-fired in a gas kiln and then glazed and fired twice more. Selective details are adorned in precious 22 karat gold and fired for the last time.