Foad Alijani

Reminiscence
solo show and opening performance
Jorjani art gallery, Tehran, Iran, September 2013
technical support: Amin Bahrami

The earth has transformed into a reminiscence, and the threads of the human mind have merged into the essence of history, and a stream of stars strives to enlighten them. However, the star of fate has been buried. The star of fate declines and dies from time to time; thus, the intricacies flourish. Silence, tranquility, and elegant simplicity create a reminiscence. The human falls asleep, existence comes together, and the earth and the star forget the truth. Still, simplicity remains pure, and life resumes in the reservoir of silence even though the star of fate would never brighten it up.

The concept of reminiscence is intertwined within history, even within the human body or the essence of time. Humanity, knowingly or unknowingly, gets caught in this blend or dissolves it and sometimes soars with it. When the reminiscence soars up into the sky, it isolates itself from the past and thus forms the future. Hence, the memory is no longer a remembrance; it is now an intuition, an accurate perception, a sovereign reality that flows like a stream, isolated from where it came. We have the universe, nature, mind, history, and a demand within humanity capable of fusing them all to create a reminiscence that floats in the soul and goes beyond the concept of time. Eventually, it is our choice where we end up, whether to appreciate truth and nature or take them for granted.

On either side of the gallery, two glass stands each held five switches. These switches allowed visitors to control the light boxes for drawings and the umbrella. The circuit’s design was unique: pressing any switch would change the function of the others.

Performance Action-Idea (it was written before the event): While playing with lighting strips in the gallery, the artist is trying to retrieve some memories without any previous plan. Each movement arises from a feeling they experienced at the time while reviewing their memories.
Performance Duration: 4 hours

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