Book of the Kings
"Seven Conquests of Story" offers a contemporary and personal interpretation of Ferdowsi's Shahnameh (Book of the Kings). This body of work selects key elements from each story, presenting them symbolically to captivate a new audience with the richness of ancient Persian literature and storytelling.
Heroic and love stories often have a written or oral tradition, evolving into poetic platforms influenced by the author's taste and knowledge. Within the structural mold that authors create for these stories, there are individuals who, with honest intentions, add or subtract elements. Manipulating the foundation of these lyrical collections, such as Ferdowsi's 'Book of the Kings,' is a challenging and unnatural task, given their intricate structures. Despite the years that have passed, these tales have endured, narrated orally in public places like mosques and coffeehouses, forming an integral part of Persian cultural heritage.
The concept of slanting or inclining, defined as turning the point or twisting the meaning in literature, history, and religion, is explored within the project. This twist in fiction and storytelling introduces various colors and textures to the narrative. The installation, a collaboration between Pouya Afshar and Neda Moridpour, employs the metaphor of tiles to illustrate this twisting process. Just as an author crafts and polishes a creation, the tiles represent a tool for a game where slanting occurs. Each removal or addition of a tile brings a distinctive change in meaning, showcasing the malleability of storytelling.
The project encourages audience participation in this game of twisting meaning, emphasizing the documentation of reactions and decisions in the process. While agonizing someone else's artwork is not morally supported, the project aims to depict how individuals engage with the game, whether they choose to be influential in twisting a narrated story within the seven conquests of history—a journey that is ongoing and ever-evolving.