"The Third Line"
Permanent public work inaugurated during Borås Bright Art
Borås Bright Art: International Light Art in the city of Borås and at Borås Art Museum
The third line is the highest source of agency, fulfillment, and self-sufficiency. It serves as a guiding light for difficult choices, a line of defense against distractions, and a glimmer of hope to hold on to when everything else seems to be falling apart.
The metal sculpture comprises several complex triangles, crafted from polished stainless steel with laser-cut geometric patterns. In total, it's made of 20 visible triangles. Each triangle has a different size.
The total height of the light sculpture exceeds 220 cm, and its diameter is 200 cm.
The sculpture stands on a concrete base. Located right next to Gustav Adolf's church in Borås, Sweden.
“Hamnars hjärta”
Public commission in connection with the 400th anniversary celebration in Norrtälje, 2021
The light sculpture Hamnars Hjärta is designed in the form of two knotted ropes in the shape of a heart and stacked on top of each other in a charming shape, which also symbolizes the knots that are used in shipping to dock at ports.
The important part of the artwork is to combine the city's history and its strong connections to the water, shipping, and the Vikings.
At the same time, this sculpture is also the symbol of the word "Mehr" (or "Mithras"), which means god of the sun, but also friendship, kindness, and love.
Mehr is a very old Persian word that has various meanings. Two of its most important meanings go back to the history of Mithraism in Persian and in the world.
Mithraism is one of the oldest rituals in the world and was developed in Iran around 3000 BC. Mithraism, the worship of Mehr, was also of central importance in it Roman Empire in the fourth century, when the sun god Mehr was honored as a patron by the emperor.
Another reason for choosing this name and concept for the sculpture is the celebration 400th anniversary of the city of Norrtälje. My ambition is that with this sculpture, this concept, and this title, I pay tribute to this beautiful and historic city that should be protected by the god of love, friendship, and goodness.
The size of the sculpture is as follows:
Length: 1802 mm Width: 2000 mm Height: 850 mm
This artwork features a 42-meter by 160 cm ceramic tile installation inspired by the principles of Persian seven-color art tiles. Additionally, a 42-meter-long metal sculpture serves as a light fixture for the tunnel, positioned at a height of 50 cm. The installation consists of 1,656 pieces of ceramic tiles, each measuring 20 by 20 cm.
The artistic concept of the tiles draws from various influences, including cultural, anthropological, and local elements related to the tunnel and its surroundings. I have also incorporated details from school children's drawings and the reference group's illustrations, which is why you can identify some abstract elements of these drawings in my design. This integration is actually the inspiration behind the project's name.
The ceramic tiles were produced using modern high-resolution ceramic printing techniques on high-quality Italian porcelain. It’s important to note that this process does not involve UV or sublimation printing. The design is inspired by elements such as constellations, stars, moons, and the celestial light.
The light sculpture not only provides illumination for the tunnel but also acts as a wall-wash light for the tiles, enhancing the visual effects on the opposite wall. The rays of light shining through the geometric patterns in the light sculpture create shadows that add an extra dimension to the overall project.
The light sculpture itself is crafted from a 3 mm thick mirror-polished metal sheet, utilizing laser-cut technology.
"The fifth element" is a Metal and Light sculpture. The Metal sculpture is 2 by 2.5 meters. And the Light sculpture covers 300 m² in 6 meters high. It is Permanently Exhibited at Östergötland's museum, Linköping.
The sculpture consists of two parts with their separate and collective functionalities. The design consists of a metal sculpture made of mirror-polished metal sheets and a light sculpture that creates shadows out of the metal sculpture.
The light sculpture results from a complex light designing process in relation to the size and shape of the statue against the museum wall which acts as projection curtain. The sculpture is acting as a shadow-making filter too.
During the day, we see the full performance of a shiny metal sculpture, which reflects the fixed and moving objects and glow under the natural light. And at night, the manipulated shadows covers the main wall of the museum, the pool, the grass lawn, the sculpture platform itself and the side of the main entrance.
The shape of the sculpture is inspired by Plato's fifth element, the dodecahedron and presents ether, heaven, or the cosmos. A dodecahedron with twelve faces that are regular pentagons. The Golden Ratio governs the shape of a pentagon. For Pythagoreans, it symbolizes the generation of the cosmos, spirit or ether.
“The Hanging Lotus Garden” is a public commission work installed at Danderyd Hospital, Stockholm, in 2019.
It consists of two separate artworks also made by the print-on-lens technique. It is 32 meters in height and 80 cm wide. The artwork continues through two sides of the stairs on four floors of the new hospital building. There are two artworks on each floor.
Each artwork consists of a complex artistic design based on raw materials created for this specific project. The raw material consisted of paintings, photographs, monotypes, and geometric designs. The design keeps its continuity and character through the whole 32 meters by preserving the harmony in colours and patterns.
From the outside, on each side of the building, you will see an artwork that is 16 meters high as one piece. And from inside, you will see eight separate units that together are 32 meters.
One of the main characteristics of The Hanging Lotus Garden is its optical illusion. It resembles the sky's reflection, the lotus flower, and other elements in the design in an imaginary pond.
By amalgamating the natural colors of the lotus petals, the green of the floating leaves, the blues of pound, the light in the background, and the use of the Persian architectural geometry, which defines the obstructed shape of lotuses in the forefront of my art, I have shaped my artistic design.
In my design, I have tried to show the connection between nature and the human spirit, our emotional attachment to natural beauties, its effect on our mental health, feelings, and its positivity on the rehabilitation process.
Reflection is the key embedded feature of my design. In this project, physics, optics, and art are intertwined to create a three-dimensional image that illustrates a hanging lotus garden that is naturally impossible to have in such a closed architectural environment.
A replica of a pond with colorful lotuses and the reflection of beautiful flowers into the water, which echoes calm and peace from one angle, and gladness and uplifting energy from the other.
Motivation (in Swedish):
“Raha Rastifards förslag Den hängande lotusträdgården är en poetisk gestaltning med stort djup och rika färgklanger. Hon presenterar en fascinerande bildvärld i många lager med hjälp av avancerad teknik.”
