The Garden of Memory
Glazed Stoneware, wood, soil
Reduction
100 X 110, 250 cm
2019
In Persian culture, the creation of gardens is a metaphor for the creation of Paradis or Paradise (the old Persian word for heaven) on earth, and it revives human connection with the infinite world. The image of gardens and flowers has been variously reflected in literature, architecture, pottery, carpets, etc. Among these forms, carpets, a reconstruction of Persian gardens, are considered daily-life objects and have decorated and warmed up houses for millennia. Generations have passed, but these motifs have stayed and recorded memories of the past in their invisible layers and carried them to us up until today. These historical utilitarian objects are deeply rooted in the cultural identity of millions of people with diverse ethnicities in a region paralyzed and suspended today in one of its darkest moments.
By exploring the invisible layers of Persian carpet motifs and reconstructing them in ceramic materials, The Garden of Memory reflects on how historical objects and motifs are carriers of the past and translators of untold stories to a generation that might forget.
We rewrite memory, but what about memories of objects? How does their memory function in comparison to our memory? How many of the historical narrations are translated into language, and how many of them are translated into objects? Which type is more trustworthy? Can we explore other kinds of memories? Would we be able to create gardens of memories?
