Snow: Familiar Becomes Unfamiliar.

Grounds for Sculpture was founded in 1992 by J. Seward Johnson Jr. He is known more through his art - real-size bronze sculptures - rather than his grandfather, Robert Wood Johnson, the founder of Johnson & Johnson Company. The park and its museum exhibit more than 200 sculptures from different artists as well as pieces by Johnson himself.

It is not a wrong observation to call Seward Johnson an Impressionist sculptor. Apart from his choice of subject matter, which mostly presents regular people in their daily activities, Johnson II translates French Impressionismt paintings into sculpted sceneries. Sometimes these painted bronze bodies and their suited surroundings create an optical illusion.

In Seward Johnson’s work the illusion works opposite Sotto in su technique. In his work a recognizable three-dimensional object looks like a more familiar two-dimensional painting: that of Monet for instance. In Sotto in su a painting looks as if it really exists. It is a false impression that makes the viewer see a two-dimensional painting as a three-dimensional object. This art technique was common in 17th century Italian Baroque art.

Now add some snow to a familiar painted sculpture: the snow that does not exists in the original impressionist painting. OK what we can have now are: 1- A puzzled art historian 2- A new piece of art: something that is familiar because of many impressionist paintings we have seen, but also mysterious because of the weather conditions. A surreal piece!

Part of Nature by Seward Johnson, 2000,
Grounds for Sculpture, NJ, Photo on Dec. 2007

If It Were Time by Seward Johnson, 1999
Grounds for Sculpture, NJ, Photo on Dec. 2007

Blue Window !

Every girl must have a Blue Window. Blue window is more important than Shoes; it is warmer than Hot Buttered Rum; it is a necessity that won’t fit in your closet, and it is more essential than a little black dress for a girl. A blue window is an escape place. It is a place where one take refuge after a long run; If you don't get any comfort from your own comfy corner you need to find your blue window to escape to from time to time.

Who knows how many things I have forgotten in that past few days. The forgetfulness was an addition to things I had to do. Too many emails unanswered, too many calls waiting for a call back, too many things to do. So I decided to escape from all these to my blue window. Indeed when it is time for the blue window, the snowstorm does not play any role. So I left Princeton and took refuge in my old neighborhood, New Haven. I spent a few lovely days with my old buddies, got some job done and now, I am ready.

Blue Window (Reflection II), Dec.2007

Where Is the Reader ?

Yesterday I went to Professor Abdolkarim Soroush’s lecture, The Skeptical Prophets. It was a very enjoyable talk. Professor Soroush is a very articulate speaker; he specifically is very accurate on his sources. So I enjoyed it beyond any measures.

During and after the talk the issue of the reader – audience, spectator or addressees – got my attention. As an after thought to Roland Barthes’ essay, Death of the Author, I think (perhaps as a modern approach) while revising a literature text, ancient or contemporary, we should always be conscious about the intended audience of that text. In the process of understand a text, although we focus more on what we understand from the text and we do not immediately occupy ourselves with author’s intentions, in my mind it is crucial to recognize who was/is the targeted audience of that piece. As I imagine every author had his readers in mind. Of course the whole idea of interpretation and hermeneutic is at stake here. Now my problem with my own thought is this: if we believe that there are texts which are meant for everyone, that they are good for all times - a text timeless and addressed to all - in that case what will happen to the importance of the reader? does it increase or decrease?

The Writer Away, San Juan Bautista, California, Fall 2007

Snow in 08540

It started snowing early this morning. So I changed my plans from visiting Fazal Sheikh’s photo exhibition to a mug of hot chocolate and reading BBC news on Bibi-Huryeh. Luckily, Khavar Sultan was parked in the garage; shoveling Kharvar would be the last thing on my list today!

I will catch up this enchanting photo exhibition on Tuesday. Beloved Daughters: Photgraphs by Fazal Sheikh has combined two of Sheikh's projects: one focuses the dispossessed widows in northern India (reminds me of Water directed by Deepa Mehta!)and the other confronts the lives of young girls in a traditional society that its merits are changing by modernity. Since early October I wanted to see this exhibition; Sheik’s black & white photograph presented on the exhibition banner was so striking that I still cannot take the image out of my head. The exhibition will be up until January 6th 2008.

Snow in 08540, Princeton, December 2007

I am Iran

I really don’t know how to begin this particular post; things have happened so fast recently that my limited mind has problem adjusting with it. I start a sentence and before I finish, I start deleting: letter-by-letter, word-by-word I erase. The main problem perhaps is my unsettled mind or maybe I have many things to say and I hardly know where to start. It is not a story. It is neither fiction nor nonfiction. It is only an attempt.

For me it started with Nazy’s creative ideas and her careful collection of images. It is Vaaleh’s music that covers the slideshow. As I said it is an attempt and we can make it worthwhile only if you share your thoughts about it with us. It is an open project and I am happy to welcome you to participate in "I am Iran". If you have difficulty watching the link on YouTube please check it here.