Puppet Theater, ICA, Portland, Maine.
Performers:
Ellanor Milkowski Dahlgren, Raven Zeh, Kerry Anderson, Prudence Ho, Anoushe Shojae-Chaghoravand
Musicians:
Aya Wakita, Brian Downs, Kayley Clark
Director: Golaleh Yazdani
Photo credit: Joel Tsui
Performers:
Anoushe Shojae-Chaghoravand, Crickett Cote, Jordan Carey
Director: Golaleh Yazdani
Photo credit: Kun Hyung Yoo
To learn more about the installation, please click here.
How to translate grief when it is removed from its birthed geography and culture?
How to share the complexity of the grief?
How does one share their pain without being deemed a victim?
Halva (in Iran) is a cultural element that is embedded with pain and loss. Halva is a sweet dense paste made of flour and butter, mixed with a syrup of sugar, saffron, rosewater, and cardamom. In Iran it is usually served at funerals or during Ramadan(fasting) month, garnished with shredded coconut or slivered almonds.
The audience was allowed to take a piece if they wanted to. The tray was replenished a couple of times throughout the entire show.
Collaborating with Negin Rahbar, Delaram Mesgaran, and Ali Khalili, Yazdani designed the performance centered around food, grief, and community.
During the performance, the artist offered freshly steamed beets, homemade halva, fresh hot tea, and letters from a wheeled cart for guests' consumption.
The letters were performed for any individual who orders food.
These letters were written for lost loved ones by Iranian authors.
Performers:
Kristin Bergquist
Alexandra Mendez
