Norouzi, Anahita

Remains is inspired by fond recollections of foraging for Persian hogweed with my grandmother. During my residency at the Grantham Foundation for Arts and Environment, I found the remains of a castrated Persian hogweed with its flowers removed. To preserve its memory, I casted the plant in plaster. Given the plant’s height, it was cast in several sections from which I created a positive relief in a series of square, tile-like forms. The fine detail achieved in the plaster reliefs almost brings the plant back to life. Plaster relief is an ancient practice used to tell a story, most often a historical event or a legend. Likewise, my reliefs tell a story, but one with many gaps. Arranged to infer a sense of the whole plant, the spaces I leave between the sections speak to the impossibility of reconciling the fragments of loss that the migratory experience entails. But strength and resilience can also grow from the knowledge gained from living “in between.” Despite unfamiliar soil, climate, and attempts at annihilation, this delicate work is proof that the Persian hogweed has survived.