Fluid Dream
BA Final Project
Isfahan University of Art
Isfahan, Iran, February 2008
Fluid Dream is the title of a collection of wood carvings for my undergraduate thesis project, accompanied by a text and a photo-book. During the process, I established a sensory connection with the various wood types and shaped the general forms according to the visual characteristics of each kind of wood. Then, by using my sense of touch, I achieved the desired result. I did not use power tools during the project; instead, I crafted my own. These custom-made tools were created, either entirely or partially, to ensure the closest possible connection to the material.
On one hand, the project aimed to explore the relationship among tools, materials, and the artist. On the other hand, it was an attempt to imprint lived experience onto the materials through my body.
At that time, according to the faculty’s thesis rules, students had to provide written and visual documentation of their project processes, including photos of the final works, for inclusion in a published thesis volume. However, I felt this did not align with my project’s concept, so I decided to write an independent text. The core approach of the accompanying text was a merger of my daily notes and philosophical discussions of quotes from books I read during the process. My self-imposed rule for the text was to avoid any formal structure. Therefore, all daily notations, quotes, and discussions remained in their original chronological sequence in the first written draft.
My intention was not to write a theoretical or literary text; instead, I wanted a fluid form, mirroring the essence of the artworks themselves. As a result, the Fluid Dream Text does not adhere to a specific subject. One of the effects of the Fluid Dream project was that it led me to experience a connection between writing and visual art practice. Additionally, the process and my concerns about what art reveals to me are addressed in the text. Fluid Dream is an emotion-driven story for me.
Slumbered Nature photo collection
Perhaps the ultimate goal for an artist, or anyone working with wood, is to go into nature and simply observe it. This was one of the last conversations I had with Kamal Masaeli, my thesis supervisor, while writing the Fluid Dream Text. Simple yet complex, observation means contemplating by looking. This time, the artistic work from start to finish is just observing, without making anything in the conventional sense.
The photo collection titled Slumbered Nature consists of 61 frames and was exhibited alongside my thesis project, Fluid Dream, in the format of an artist’s book. The photos feature close-up images of various tree bark textures, taken mostly in urban environments over approximately seven months.
