The concept of this artwork embodied the social and cultural norm of exemplifying the traditional eating style in Iran. The medium is immaculate rice, which represents the traditional “Sofreh”. Sofreh has a spiritual meaning and a special veneration in Iranian culture. To design it, I am inspired by the plethora of social, political, cultural, and environmental forces in Iran using rice as the main food in Iran. The concept is to make a ‘Sofreh’ with Persian Rug motifs. The rug’s design is specifically aimed to mimic the political and social issues in Iran including controversial issues that exist in society: execution, war, political prisoners, as well as immigrants and refugees who left the country. The piece won the Eye Ball best sculpture award at the University of Toronto.
