SHOLEH ASGARY

A roving finger is animated and contained within the screen in an attempt to create a moving image of stasis. The finger operates as an anti-relic of Anahita, the pre-Zorastrian goddess o water who has been adapted and diluted through religions, cultures and patriarchies. The audio is composited from field recordings in Iran, the only audible voice referencing Karbalah, a historical site in Iraq. Technological innovations are commonly reflected upon as a means of linear movement. In photography, Eadweard Muybridge conveyed time as a movement from left to right, while Étienne-Jules Marey's images tracked movement, inspiring Futurism and its fascist counterpart. Relic or icon, the closer we try to grab this part of her, the more it slips away from our grasp.

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Pictured here as part of the exhibition by the name Anahita, Angosht is viewed as a 5 channel video and sound installation. The roving finger, rather than being contained within a single screen, travels counter clock wise through all five screens. The viewer must walk in a circle to view and hear the piece. The floors within the exhibition space are lined with mirrored plexiglass that lay perpendicular to the baseboards, reflecting washes of focused light onto the surrounding walls. There is a saying in Farsi that water illuminates.