Remembrance
Water, tiles, mirrors, text, dry pigment, motion sensor, drip hose; 30´ W x 75´ L x 12´ H
Remembrance immerses the viewer in a contemplative space that evokes the mysticism of Persian poetry and the serene geometry of traditional Islamic design. At the heart of the room lies a cobalt-blue tiled pond, 12´ W x 30´ L x 9″ D, its mirrored floor inscribed with the words of Attar’s Conference of the Birds. The text is revealed in reverse upon the walls through carefully angled spotlights, turning reflection itself into a medium of memory and contemplation.
From the ceiling, delicate drops of water fall into the pond, their rhythm governed by a motion sensor. As visitors move through the space, each disturbance ripples across the mirrored surface, momentarily fracturing the reflected words. When stillness returns, the poetry re-emerges, echoing the cyclic dance of presence and absence, loss and rediscovery. The walls, painted a warm golden yellow and adorned with repeated floral motifs in deep violet pigment, create a shimmering backdrop, merging the sensory with the symbolic.
In this suspended, meditative space, the viewer encounters the essence of Attar’s verse:
“And there you are suspended, motionless,
Till you are drawn the impulse is not yours—
A drop absorbed in seas that have no shores.
First lose yourself, then lose this loss and then
Withdraw from all that you have lost again—
Go peacefully, and stage by stage progress
Until you gain the realms of Nothingness.”
Remembrance is both a visual and spiritual meditation—a space where reflection, movement, and poetic text converge, inviting the visitor to witness the impermanence of perception and the continuity of memory.