Fluid Dream
BA Final Project
Isfahan University of Art
Isfahan, Iran, February 2008
Fluid Dream is the title of a collection of wood carvings created for my undergraduate thesis project, accompanied by a text and a collection of photographs that I captured during the project. When creating these works, 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 maintain the minimum distance from the material.
The body of wood carvings in Fluid Dream was created to achieve a relationship between tools, material, and the artist. However, the main approach of the project was a search for the purity of experiences formed through the course of my artistic life.
At that time, according to the faculty’s thesis rules, students had to provide written and visual documentation of their projects’ implementation 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 approach, so I decided to write an independent text.
The core concept of my accompanying text was not centered on art theory, but rather structured around daily notes instead of analytical arguments. My writing combined daily notes and quotes from books I read throughout the process. My self-imposed rule for the text was to avoid any structural arrangements. Therefore, all daily notations, quotes, and discussions remained in their original chronological sequence within my written piece. 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 concerns about my creating art 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 tutor, about wood while writing the Fluid Dream text. Simple yet complex, observation: it means contemplating through 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 frames of various tree bark textures, mostly taken in urban environments over approximately seven months.
