“Remember”

I have a special relationship with mountains.

I was born and lived on the outskirts of Mount Damavand. In Tehran, wherever you turn your head to the north, you will see Damavand, standing proud and strong, protecting its people. As far as I know from my grandparents’ stories, my family has been born, lived, and died in the Alborz mountain range for more than seven generations.
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In A Social History of Dying, the sociologist Allan Kellehear discusses “how the land is an extension of the body for people in early settled societies,” and for those who remain on the same land for millennia. Therefore, these days, when I see Damavand burning in the fire of war, my heart, too, burns. Our hearts, too, burn.
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I have a special relationship with mountains.
I love you, Colorado. My love for you is for your mountains, for your red soil, and for your evergreens. In Green Mountain Falls, every morning, I say hello to your mountains, praising their beauty and humble magnificence, and feeling fortunate to be in their presence.
I look at your mountains and remember Alborz. I look at them and remember Damavand.

I seek solace in nature, and seek guidance from those who endured the same pain whose land has endured.
In the poem “Memory,” Joy Harjo, a Native American poet, reminds us of the commonality of fundamental human experiences. She refers us to the sky, the earth, the wind, and the trees, and reminds us that we are all the same despite superficial differences.
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This installation, “Remember”, aims to abstractly recreate the sky, mountains, and natural elements, bringing the outside inside the gallery. For this work, I used natural dyes, such as Blue Spruce pine needles, dandelions, and soil from around my studio at Green Box Arts. For the sky, I used synthetic blue. The Green Mountain Falls community joined me on an evening to stitch the work together.
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This installation was a part of the Green Box Arts residency. Installation photos by Stellar Propeller Studio @stellarpropellerstudio

Please click on the images to see the large-sized photo.