Nostalgia

Ghorbat (2016)

On an autumn evening, while riding the New York City subway, the seed of Ghorbat began to take shape after encountering a poem by contemporary Persian poet Mahmood Davoodi. The lines read:

"This sand staircase, cascading towards the dark lake,

these pines along the rain-drenched path,

this stone bench, this pervasive gloom,

which settles you beside the trembling bird,

embodies 'uncanniness.'"

(Mahmood Davoodi. 2004. translated by Saman Samadi, 2018.)

Berceuses (2016)

The epoch most adept at recollection is paradoxically the most prone to forgetfulness: namely, childhood. The act of remembering with poetic sensibility reveals itself as a form of forgetting, for poetic remembrance is merely a manifestation of this very amnesia. To recollect poetically signifies that one's experience has already been transfigured by the expulsion of all that is painful. Such recollection necessitates a profound awareness of one’s existence, particularly of one's capacity for enjoyment. When one engages in enjoyment with unrestrained abandon, continuously extracting the maximum from pleasure, one finds oneself incapable of either true recollection or forgetfulness. In such cases, the sole remnant is a satiation that one wishes to erase but is plagued by an involuntary memory. Thus, when an individual perceives that pleasure or a facet of life is overwhelming them excessively, they pause to engage in reflection. This deliberate pause serves as a corrective to the excess of indulgence. By curbing enjoyment from the outset and avoiding full commitment to any decision, one indulges with a measure of skepticism. Only in this way can one challenge the adage that one cannot both consume and retain the cake. It is indeed accurate that while clandestine weapons are prohibited, none is as perilous as the art of recollection. There is a singular intensity in the act of surveying one’s enjoyment with the intent to recollect it amidst the experience itself. (Kierkegaard, 1843/1988)

Vāyu (2016)

What could be more profoundly foreign to the “they,” enmeshed in the labyrinthine concerns of its externalized 'world,' than the Self that has been existentially individuated, immersed in the uncanny, and cast into the abyss of the “nothing”? (Heidegger, 1962/1927)

Retroception (2016)

It is generally elucidated that the term Heimlich is not univocal, encompassing two distinct, albeit non-contradictory, sets of connotations: on one hand, it denotes what is familiar and comforting; on the other, it signifies that which is concealed and kept out of view. Customarily, Unheimlich is understood as the negation of the first meaning of Heimlich, rather than the second. However, Schelling's insights offer a transformative perspective on the concept of the Unheimlich, which was previously unanticipated. He contends that the Unheimlich encompasses all that which was meant to remain concealed and hidden but has, nonetheless, emerged into the light of day. (Freud, 2003/1919)

Hura (2015)

Repetition and recollection, though seemingly divergent in their directional flows, converge in their essence as mirror images of one another. Recollection, the act of revisiting that which has passed, retraces its steps in reverse; whereas genuine repetition propels forward, recapitulating the original in an iterative advance. Hope, in this context, emerges as a pristine and untested raiment—stiff, starched, and gleaming, its suitability and charm unknown until it is donned. In contrast, recollection is akin to a discarded attire, its aesthetic allure diminished by the passage of time and the growth beyond its fit (Kierkegaard, 1983/1843).

Hura, one of the most archaic and elemental vocal forms extant, hails from the Kurdish regions of western Iran. Its etymological roots stretch back 7,000 years to the time of Zoroaster, derived from the term “Ahura.” Initially employed for sacred rites, this vocal style later transitioned to encompass romantic themes. Hura was integral to moments of profound significance—mourning the loss of a loved one or invoking Ahura Mazda, the pre-Islamic Persian deity. It also served as a means of expressing reverence for nature or alleviating homesickness. The Avesta venerates Hura as the voice that embodies “good deeds, good thoughts, and good words.” This traditional form remains prevalent in Shirvan, Ivan, Ilam, and Kermanshah in Iran.

The electroacoustic composition presented here is derived from select recordings of Hura, performed by Awalaziz Haydari, in whose memory the work was created. The video segments, sourced from The Internet Archive (archive.org), were meticulously edited and recontextualized into video art by Saman Samadi.