Setting up in Denver

In a few short hours, we'll begin setting the installation up in Denver's Civic Center Park. We're all very excited! If all goes according to plan, we'll have the structure up and running by 8 am. We're envisioning what it will be like for someone who lives in the area to see an enormous art installation appear out of nowhere.

Olympic Team

Congratulations to Hadi Saei, Olympic gold medalist in Taekwondo!

Olympic team

I am watching the Iranian team entering the stadium in Beijing during the opening ceremonies. It's heartwarming to see sculler Homa Hosseini bearing the flag, but it breaks my heart to hear boos coming from the crowd as the Iranian delegation marches.

What a weekend!

Well, the structure is back in the truck, and the field where it stood is empty again. What a response we had this weekend! Hundreds and hundreds of people walked to a field on the edge of town to see a show about Iran. The feedback we got was very encouraging! As an example, a woman I had never met came up to me this morning to tell me she had dreamed about the show last night. We all feel like we're doing something important, and that it's working the way we had hoped. Very exciting!

Sneak preview

We just finished putting up the installation in a field in Crested Butte, Colorado. We thought we should have a sneak preview for our hometown, and for a few unsuspecting visitors who are here for the Art Fair this weekend!

Wiring harness

We're in the midst of a hot week in Denver, installing the lights, speakers, and wiring harness in the structure. When we're finished, we'll be able to keep the wiring inside the metal tubes which make up the framework, even when we're taking the whole thing apart to transport it.

Proofs

Here I am in New York, working with our excellent printer. I am looking at proofs for all the images in the show and they are looking remarkable! The technology we are using did not exist a year ago. The prints will be just as I dreamed they would be -- translucent yet vibrant, with wonderful skin tones, and clearly visible from both sides. It's a dream come true for me, and I hope the installation we create will look like a dream to viewers.

Bump in the road

Unfortunately, a key member of our production team has had to leave for personal reasons. We are trying to figure out what this means, but it's clear that we won't be able to accomplish everything we had planned. Right now it seems that the best course of action is to cancel our plans to attend Burning Man this year, and focus on the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. It will be a hard decision to make, but we'll just have to make an educated guess based on what we know. Most importantly, we wish Rachel well, and hope that her departure from the project makes her life easier right now.

Another blogger takes interest

The show hasn't been put up yet, but already it's sparking controversy. It's interesting to see what motives people assume I have.

Bloggers take interest...

A political blog has taken interest in our show. Click on the title of this post for a link to the blog. Search that page for "Civic Center Park" to see the first of many entries. I wonder if they will really come picket our show?

Some nice coverage...

We got a nice write-up in the Rocky Mountain News. Click on the title of this post to see the article.

Back in the U.S.A.

Leaving Iran is always bittersweet. Or maybe just bitter. It's always nice to return home, but very hard to leave Iran not knowing whether I will be able to go back. In a few days, I will drop the pseudonym I have been using (Yechdosay Chahar), and will put my fate in the hands of the Iranian government. Will they like what I am doing and therefore be happy to give me another visa someday? Will they dislike it and deny my visa application? Will they grant me a visa but follow me when I return to Iran, possibly creating problems for my friends? There is no way to know right now.

In any event, I had a productive flight from Dubai to Houston, beginning the process of editing the interviews I conducted on this trip.