Bid for Cythera

Towards the latter part of the 18th century, into the first couple years of the 19th century the French and the Persian Empire shared an official alliance.  Taking place in the midst of what was disputably the most decadent era for both countries, France was romancing in the Rococo while the Persians were reveling in the Safavid Dynasty. The Franco-Persian Alliance lasted less than a decade and along with its termination came the fall of the Safavid Dynasty.  Over 200 years later, Rococo aesthetic is still profoundly popular in homes all over Tehran, exposing attitudes around class, race and a style that generally represents the elite.  While keeping these undertones in mind, "Bid for Cythera" revives the residual impact of the Rococo in Persian history, suggesting a selective recollection of a golden era in Persian history  and collective memory. By marrying the dichotomy between the decorative and the utilitarian, this piece creates the context for the worker or the completion of a goal, referencing the contractor for a job and the climber envisioning the reach of a summit.  It indulges the hopeful and vigorous, yet futile attempt to create a perfect vision, while revealing the forces that complicate this process.

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