Act two
Elegy For Freedom Martyrs
2022
In Iranian culture, the ones who sacrifice their life for their land and people are considered martyrs; we believe that they never die. In Iran's revolution, one of the slogans is Shahid Namirad (martyr never dies).
This work is an elegy for our freedom martyrs; it is our prayers for our land and our compatriots among the date trees, as the symbol of life.
The lyric is a traditional morning poem from Lali in Khuzestan, Iran, in the Bakhtiari dialect. It is mainly sung by women during burial ceremonies to honor deceased ones, indicating their bravery in life and tragic death.
Act One
Drakht-I Asurig
(Date tree)
2022
Date tree has a long history in Iran, from ancient times to the present. It has been the totem of many Iranian tribes and is considered the sacred tree or the tree of life. The importance of this tree is also evident in the language; the unit used to count date trees is the same as the humans.
This installation is an elegy for date trees.
In the last two decades, human activities have greatly damaged the water resources of date farms and destroyed a large number of trees. The tree patterns were borrowed from the design of ancient pots found in Iran and painted on the shroud to recall my ancestor's respect and care for this tree.
