We're on day two of a two-day installation, and there are already more than a dozen articles and blog entries about the show. Click on the title to see a thoughtful review of the show with a few photographs taken in the installation.
As expected, last night was quite remarkable. We've gotten used to being an island of calm surrounded by chaos, but the mood in the installation seems to become even more powerful around sunset. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the area around us was quite charged at dusk. Police on horseback, police in SWAT gear, police wearing face shields and gas masks confronted protestors also dressed largely in black, many of them wearing goggles or with handkerchiefs tied around their faces to help them contend with pepper spray. The showdown between the groups had turned into a standoff right at sunset.
At just that moment, we played the Adhan (or "call to prayer") over our loudspeakers. It's sensitive territory, incorporating elements from Islam into our art piece. We don't want to send the wrong message to any devout practitioner of any faith. But we thought it was worth the risk: to remind us all that Christians, Muslims, and Jews worship the same god; to invoke the idea of sincere devotion to a higher power; and, frankly, to inject beautiful sounds into a chaotic and unpleasant environment.
Not long after the muzzein informed us for the last time that there is no god but God, we began to see a trickle of visitors coming from the direction of the police/protestor standoff, some of them with tears in their eyes. As one man approached the exhibit crying, he thanked us for the reminder that we are all God's children. (His words, not mine.)
The moment reminded me of one of Rumi's poems:
Where Is God?
I tried to find Him on the Christian cross, but He was not there; I went to the Temple of the Hindus and to the old pagoda, but I could not find a trace of Him anywhere.
I searched the mountains and the valleys but neither in the heights nor in the depths was I able to find Him. I went to the Kaaba in Mecca, but He was not there either.
I questioned the scholars and philosophers, but He was beyond their understanding.
I then looked into my heart and it was there where He dwelled that I saw him; He was nowhere else to be found.
Monday, August 25, 2008
DNC: Day One continued...
Sunset is just around the corner. I'm really looking forward to seeing how our visitors respond as the daylight fades, and the lights in the installation start to really take effect.
I've lost count of the number of people I've talked to from all walks of life. Hundreds. Interestingly, the overwhelming response to the show from visitors has been strongly positive. We have had a few guests who were challenged by what we are doing, but so far it's been nothing but civil discourse.
The same can't quite be said for what's going on around us. As I write these words, there is a standoff going on between Denver and Aurora police and protesters. We're not quite sure how things got inflamed, but somehow things progressed to the point that several hundred police officers in black riot gear faced off with protesters just a few hundred feet from our installation. Pepper spray was used, people were running everywhere, and now the police have about 150 people pinned down in a public plaza. Nobody's quite sure what's going to happen next.
An interesting thing happened in the middle of all of this. Because of where our installation is situated, mounted police, protestors, and all sorts of people were charging by. No matter how crazy things got, our structure was a conflict-free zone. No confrontations took place in our immediate vicinity. Some protestors who had been pepper sprayed chose to sit right outside our structure as they recuperated. It's hard to describe what it feels like when a young woman who is trying to recover from being pepper sprayed looks at you with bloodshot, watery eyes and tells you how important she thinks your art is.
I've lost count of the number of people I've talked to from all walks of life. Hundreds. Interestingly, the overwhelming response to the show from visitors has been strongly positive. We have had a few guests who were challenged by what we are doing, but so far it's been nothing but civil discourse.
The same can't quite be said for what's going on around us. As I write these words, there is a standoff going on between Denver and Aurora police and protesters. We're not quite sure how things got inflamed, but somehow things progressed to the point that several hundred police officers in black riot gear faced off with protesters just a few hundred feet from our installation. Pepper spray was used, people were running everywhere, and now the police have about 150 people pinned down in a public plaza. Nobody's quite sure what's going to happen next.
An interesting thing happened in the middle of all of this. Because of where our installation is situated, mounted police, protestors, and all sorts of people were charging by. No matter how crazy things got, our structure was a conflict-free zone. No confrontations took place in our immediate vicinity. Some protestors who had been pepper sprayed chose to sit right outside our structure as they recuperated. It's hard to describe what it feels like when a young woman who is trying to recover from being pepper sprayed looks at you with bloodshot, watery eyes and tells you how important she thinks your art is.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Democratic Convention: Day One
What a day we're having!
Around 9 am, when the structure had only been up for a little more than an hour, a man came by to tell us how upset he was by what we're doing here, and announced that he planned to come back with dynamite to destroy the exhibit. One of our staffers struck up a conversation with him. Within ten minutes, he had changed his viewpoint completely. He said he had never stopped to think about the fact that Iranians were human beings too. As he left, he said he wanted to go tell all his friends to come visit us, since he thought it would be interesting for them to see what we're doing.
Well, I guess we've made a difference for at least one person!
There is an article in this morning's Rocky Mountain News about the installation. It was posted online around 7 this morning, and already there are more than a dozen comments about the show. Click on the title of this blog entry to see the article.
It should be an interesting couple of days here in Denver!
Around 9 am, when the structure had only been up for a little more than an hour, a man came by to tell us how upset he was by what we're doing here, and announced that he planned to come back with dynamite to destroy the exhibit. One of our staffers struck up a conversation with him. Within ten minutes, he had changed his viewpoint completely. He said he had never stopped to think about the fact that Iranians were human beings too. As he left, he said he wanted to go tell all his friends to come visit us, since he thought it would be interesting for them to see what we're doing.
Well, I guess we've made a difference for at least one person!
There is an article in this morning's Rocky Mountain News about the installation. It was posted online around 7 this morning, and already there are more than a dozen comments about the show. Click on the title of this blog entry to see the article.
It should be an interesting couple of days here in Denver!
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.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Friday, August 8, 2008
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.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
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!
Saturday, August 2, 2008
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!
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