“Tales of the Hair (قصه های گیسو)”

Title:

Tales of the Hair (قصه های گیسو)

Artist(s) and People Involved:

Performers:



• Sahar Sajadieh

Symposium:

• ISEA2024: 29th International Symposium on Electronic Art

Venue(s):

• SAE Creative Media University College , Brisbane , Australia

Artist Statement:

Tales of the Hair (قصه های گیسو) is my artistic response to the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement in Iran, my personal-political dance in a dialogue with the wisdom of Persian mythology, and my poetic therapeutic co-creation with generative AI. In Persian poetry, Kurdish rituals, and Mesopotamian literature, hair is a sacred sign of power and beauty, and cutting hair a symbolic act of protest, mourning, and transformation. This work tells the tales of the hair—intertwined in every wave—the tales of resistance inspired by the mythical symbolism of the renowned Persian Sufi poet Attar Nishabouri. In his epic masterpiece, “The Conference of the Birds,” Attar tells the stories of the quest of the world’s birds to find their king, the Almighty “Simurgh” (a mythical creature similar to Phoenix). The literal meaning of “Simurgh” in Farsi is “Thirty Birds,” with “Si” meaning “Thirty” and “Murgh” meaning “Bird.” In Attar’s poem, the birds in pursuit of Simurgh cross seven valleys of self-discovery, after which only thirty birds arrive in the land of Simurgh, where in their reflection, they find the image of Simurgh. By alluding to the power of knowledge, literature, and poetry embedded in Persian culture and history, Tales of the Hair strives to decolonize and reclaim the narratives of the Iranian movement while creating a universal visual poetry about obtaining one’s power as a community through the journey of becoming Simurgh.

Category:

• AI Art
• Dance Performance
• Literature and Poetry