Since each of us was several, there was quite a crowd. Here we have made use of everything that came within range, what was closest as well as fartherest away. (Deleuze & Guattari, in the introduction to A Thousand Plateaus, 3)

Friday, June 1, 2012

The Lover Circles his own Heart: Hossein Valamanesh



I have been an admirer of Hossein Valamanesh's work for some time. I am a regular visitor to his work in the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Middle Path (2008 ), On May 7th, and for the first time, I saw his installation, The Lover Circles his own Heart (1993) currently on display at
the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney.

If you plan to make a visit, I suggest you watch this YouTube video first--not only do you hear Valamanesh's voice reading the Rumi poem but you see the work as it was first displayed.

When I saw it,  it was set in the corner of one of the main galleries surrounded by white walls  and close to a strident video installation (by another artist) consisting of a number of TVs all turned up loud.

If you spend some time, however, watching the whirling cloth and the sound of the outside world diminishes. The poem is inscribed on a wall close by so you can linger over the words too. 

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