Tea waste

Ta.mi Table

Ta.mi table is created from leftover tea leaves.

The project aims to depict Turkish tea culture, alongside absorb sounds. Ta.mi is a new material created with tea waste, locally made to establish sustainability and circularity, it is lightweight and made from natural ingredients. It was developed to act as a sound absorber for improving individual health and it has a relatable story for Turkish people.

Ta.mi started with the question: “How might we enrich the tea culture of Turkey by appreciating its waste as new creative products?”

Turkey is at the top of the list of tea consumption in the world, with an average of 1300 glasses per year. It is the most consumed beverage in Turkey after water.

In conjunction to this in daily life, many external situations affect individuals based in Turkey. According to the graph prepared by Germany-based Mimi Hearing Technologies centred on noise and average hearing loss rates, Istanbul ranks 48th in the list of 50 cities. People living in Istanbul have a hearing level of someone 18.3 years older than them. In terms of noise pollution.

While this cycle is happening every day with no solution to noise pollution and tea waste being sent to landfill. Ta.mi is a way to upcycle this waste.
Tables can be used for a variety of purposes, but the most important role is for everyone to sit around a table and spend quality time with the people they care about. Chatting and laughing together, whilst drinking tea is common practice in Istanbul. Drinking tea is an important part of daily life – Ta.mi table brings people together while also acting as a noise absorber, resulting in a healthier living environment.

Why is this material named Ta.mi?
In Turkish, 'tami' means a group of tea bushes standing close to each other. It's also known as the shrubs where tea leaves are clumped together. In some areas, it is also known as Femi.

How will Ta.mi table absorb noise?
Tea bushes form a wave pattern called tami when they come together. Noise is better absorbed by concave shapes, porous surfaces, and empty spaces between surfaces ,than by flat or convex surfaces. This table is made of Ta.mi goods with a wavy surface and is inspired by the tea tamis of Turkey's Black Sea Region.

Text submitted by the maker and edited by the Future Materials Bank. For information about reproducing (a part of) this text, please contact the maker.