Hooria Rahimi, Landscape of Unity: Building a Mountain Together (2022- ). Haire, scissors, red neon. Photo by: Artexte, 2023

Landscape of Unity: Building a Mountain Together

An artwork of Hooria Rahini

February 24 - April 7, 2023 @ Artexte's reading room

In parallel to the exhibition Toward Freedom presented at Projet Casa [February 24 – March 26, 2023] curated by Mojeanne Behzadi [curator, research and programming at Artexte], the Artexte reading room is hosting the installation Landscape of Unity: Building a Mountain Together (2022- ) by artist Hooria Rahimi.

 

Landscape of Unity: Building a Mountain Together

I have a dream, 

I have a dream to build a mountain

I have a dream, 

I have a dream for all of us, 

I have a dream fro all of us to  build a mountain, 

All together

 

A pair of scissors and a red circular neon light hanging above it…

As a community of spectators gathers, individuals are invited to step forward, and following instructions from a poem of mine stating  “I have a dream to build a mountain,” cut a piece of their hair and place it under the light, then offer the pair of scissors to the crowd.

Through this process, a pattern of engaging and divulging emerges, a cycle of coming and going, that orbits around the growing mountain of hair. Each participant plays a role in the evolution of this living piece and symbolizes a larger act of community-building through the detachment of an organic, intimate part of oneself for the benefit of others.

The interactive nature of the installation encourages viewers to contemplate their positionality, creating a cycle of reciprocity and declaring the power of presence. As participants engage with the installation, they take on a certain responsibility and become part of something larger. As the mountain of hair grows beneath the warm glow of the neon light, it creates a landscape…a landscape of unity, symbolizing hope and care.

This ongoing project has been travelling to different places and communities, continuing to grow with each iteration. Ultimately, the project stands as a testament to the victory and freedom of the people of Iran against tyranny.

For Woman, For Life, For Freedom

— Hooria Rahimi

 

On the concept of cutting hair as a mourning gesture:

Hair-cutting as a symbolic gesture is a practice which is deeply rooted in the mourning ceremonies of Iranian peoples. Such practices are attested in works like the Shahnameh (otherwise known as The Book of Kings). The Shahnameh is a 1000-year-old epic with 40,000 verses, couplets and quatrains written in Persian by the famed poet Ferdowsi. This famous epic is often cited as one of the most influential works in the history of literature and has numerous poems concerning the cutting of hair as an act of deep mourning.

Many ethnicities throughout Iran such as the Kurds, the Laks and the Lurs with their numerous tribes, namely the Bakhtiaris, still practice this form of mourning. However, the murder of Jina (Mahsa) Amini has incited the Iranian people into using this practice of mourning as an everyday form of resistance against Iran’s government. This symbolic and highly emotional act has turned into a show of solidarity by the international community dedicated to the women of Iran.

— Hooria Rahimi, February 2023

 

About the artist:

Hooria Rahimi transforms reality into a luminous harmony. Inspired by natural science and landscapes, her installations manipulate light and reflection in space through the use of red light, electronics and reflective and natural materials, including mirror, water and plants. Her red neon-hued light sculptures intersect with the surrounding environment, create a slow, sensory, and immersive experience and highlight the interconnectedness of art, technology, human body and nature. Her passion for social and environmental activism is reflected in her work, establishing a vulnerable dialogue between human and nature and to be the voice of the unheard.

Based in Tiohtià:ke/Montréal, Rahimi is an Iranian interdisciplinary/light artist. She believes in the materiality of Light, and in her practice, she uses it as a bridge between the intangible and physical space. She received her BFA in Sculpture from Art University of Tehran, and is currently pursuing her MFA in Studio Arts-Intermedia at Concordia University.

 

About the exhibition Toward Freedom at Projet Casa:

The exhibition Toward Freedom responds to the current feminist movement in Iran which is recognized worldwide through its slogan Woman, Life, Freedom, originating from Kurdish liberation movements. Works by contemporary visual artists – from France and from the Iranian and Kurdish diaspora – that deal with feminicide, state violence and the unifying power of resilience through struggles are presented.