Re-made in the USA
2018
In the United States, goods and services are abundant. The ubiquitous box-stores and theme restaurants create a homogeneous national experience so that no matter where one travels, it feels familiar. In contrast, my home Iran is still dominated by small family shops, each with its own set of goods that may vary in both price and quality on a region-by-region basis. I recognize that Iran is influenced by western capitalism and many of its people desire what they perceive as “modern” in the United States. Many (not all) Iranians DESIRE what they think is "American" culture. In essence, they are being "remade in the USA." They desire the material goods that define "success." They aspire to the same dream Americans aspire. The video juxtaposes the traditional bazaar captured by my family’s cell phone with a mechanized vending dispensary to suggest a transformation or homogenization in cultural values under globalism. Simultaneously, it suggests what is lost: community. The bazaar imagery is full of people and "life," while the vending area is mechanical and devoid of interaction except with machines. This contrast between cultures typifies some of the changes witnessed by those, like me, who are experiencing globalization on a personal level. This artwork explores these differences in perception, providing insight into the operations of globalization using video installation.
House of lines
2018
Houses between waters
2018
Wingie
2017
3D modeling ear and wing in Maya
My baggage
2017
In this performance, I struggle with my baggage. This baggage has come with me from home and is a metaphor for lots of things. I carry all my emotions and thoughts with me and show how both leaving and staying are very complicated.
Wire-less
2017
When I decided to move to the US for study, I never thought that I would not able to see my family. I always had wishes to come the US, but I didn't know how hard it is to be so far away from the people I love. I only keep in touch with them through online images. I feel a barrier between us that makes it hard to see them.
Surprise
2016
I placed the characters in a grid system to illustrate how an individual struggles to maintain their values and behaviors in life. It is also an examination of the surprised reactions to changes that come from a new experience. The box in this video is a metaphor for life; it can be viewed as a gift or present. We want to open our present, but we have no idea what is inside. Life is similar to a box, bringing experiences which are defined by the individual.
Grab and Ungrab I
2016
In "Grab and Ungrab", I aim to show that humans are influenced by their immediate environment. The performance displays the concept of being in different positions metaphorically. When humans are faced with new and unknown experiences they consciously or unconsciously grab for new information, sights, convictions and can have different experiences from their environment.
Grab and Ungrab II
2016
Multiple Me
2016
layers
2016
Irrelevant life
2016
Life is full of unrelated events which can bring unexpected results. In this video I combine seemingly unrelated objects metaphorically. I aimed to express that the consumerism life, however leads us with some events which are irrelevant to each other, Indeed everything is relevant and connected with each other to conduct our perspective.
Do you like to eat me?
2015
"Do you like to eat me". This project was about Cabot-Koppers Superfund Site in Gainesville, Florida, and the “Disaster” that is around us. I had to make a piece, which is related to mankind, and everything that he makes to destroy the world, particularly based on this specific location. At the beginning of the video, I showed that I am making bread with hazmat.suit to bring the contamination process of making bread concept. Because bread in Iranian culture has a special value and it is metaphor of life, and literally, life without bread doesn’t have any meaning. It seems that we are going to contaminate our life. I use the soil of Kabbot- Copper site in recipe of the bread. Then at the end I used again that soil on my head to refer the famous Iranian idiom “ Soil on head” which has a different meaning when you addressing yourself or other people, but generally it means when something bad happened to you or you are in bad situation, or shame on you. As a result, everything goes around comes around. از ماست که بر ماست
Repeated Rrepetition
2014
The video shows objects that I use everyday. How do daily objects, such as cell phones, a purse, doors, etc. can influence our life? Often these objects bring feelings of stress, anxiety, and fear. And I tried to illustrate my daily life through involving with different objects and how I isolated with my surrounding and its objects,being lonely. I showed myself who trapped with the mundane life rather than to communicate with other people.
Seven deadly sins
2013
This project is combination of physical experimental performance with typographic designs to depict the seven deadly sins.
Withered Flower
2017
I made this motion typography for one of my old poems which I wrote when I was 15 years old. This poem is about the conversation between one star and one flower that both need something. The Star regardless of being bright needs light, and the flower while exposed to the rain still needs water. They both are in the same condition and have their own needs but still are unsatisfied.
My containers
2017
loop of colors
2017
Tarof
2015
Tarof is a traditional Iranian etiquette practice. It governs the way people act when offering food or consideration to others, buying or selling things and negotiating in conversation. this piece depicts humorous conversation between two people.One of them is a guest and the other one is the host. The host offers food to his guest, and gradually insists that he eat more and more to be sure that his guest is eating enough. Eventually this back and forth conversation causes annoyance and the guest wants to leave.
Life in Gainesville
2015
Showing Gainesville city with poetic view.
Take 5 with Setareh Ghoreishi from UF SAAH on Vimeo.