Site Specific Installations

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“One of her pieces in the show focuses specifically on poetry as the pinnacle of difficult translation. Here Esfahani works with a poem by Nokyoung Xayasane, an emerging Canadian poet whose words “clang harsh” against the sacrifices that cultural integration demand. She then takes these texts and filters them through software to create deliberately quirky renditions of the originals. From English to Farsi to Google to automated calligraphy, much is altered. The resulting printouts are a hybrid between images and text.” Geoffrey Shea, Durham Art Gallery

 

Wish on Water focuses on cultural practices around water. It draws a comparison between the tradition of wishing on water in Sagha Khaneh and various traditions of wishing on water around the world from wishing wells to tossing coins in the water features of shopping malls. The drinking bowl refers to cultural practice of providing drinking water to travelers in Iran and other Middle Eastern countries. Sagha Khaneh (meaning house of water-carrier/provider) provided drinking water to travelers and passer bys in Iran for centuries. These water stations were commonly built close to natural springs by travel routes. The thirsty traveler would receive a drink of water traditionally in a bowl. In return travelers would say a prayer, light a candle or donate money in hopes of realization of a wish.

 

12/10/12 is a response to Esfahani’s experience of living in two cultures for equal number of years. Her installation attempt to question the notion of belonging to an ‘originary’ or ‘original’ culture whether Eastern or Western in order to open up a space of negotiation. 12/10/12 consists of hand-made wallpaper based on Homer Watson’s drawings and other source material, a collection of bird statues from various locations around the world including Waterloo Region and Iran, and altered Homer Watson prints. 12/10/12 is centered on three key strategies: to embark on creative investigations of local history and culture, to interject ‘other’ cultural notions and histories within the familiar history of the house museum, and to create Third Space by opening up ‘new’ narratives within the context of local history.

 

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