Dances of the Lines
a Demonstration, workshop & Exhibition of Calligraphy & Line Drawing 

by Parvaneh Farid, 

L’Atelier Papillon,

1st-31st July 2014

 

Dances of the Lines

“Dances of the Lines”

Theme: "Dances of the Lines" is yet again another workshop/gallery which attempts to examine the main theme of "Translating the Lines" which is the title of my “Practice as Research” visual and performing arts project.

For that I particularly observe and analyse those aspects of my life experiences and understandings – within the environmental context of my embracing cultures - which help me to recognise the movement and formation of invisible lines of imaginations and the process of their translation into the stylised and visible lines which are called “the Arts”.

Doing that, my analytical observations remain very personal and subjective. In other words I regard myself as the subject of a case study - auto ethnography – My personal feelings and expressions which are provoked by during this part of my case study are then translated into a series of drawing and calligraphy work.

This workshop/gallery is part of a more comprehensive and systematic academic project which I am doing at the University of Winchester; “Translating the Lines”

“Translating the Lines” is a Practice as Research (PaR) Art Project which attempts to examine the nature of the “Line” -visible & invisible- and its paradigm(s) of existence.

     This research inquiry is made in the form of a subjective process of observation and understanding by this British-Iranian born multimedia artist, whose initial exposure to  the concept of the Line formed within the context of Persian culture before developing its application to her art within the  paradigms of the western academic world.

     Taken from the accepted paradigm of the “Line”, which is an abstract single dimensional phenomenon within the concrete three dimensional existence, the artist argues that what is commonly referred to as the “Line” is nothing but the documentation of the performance of a movement of an abstract phenomenon -with no dimension- against another one within the paradigm of space and time with the use of some form of technology - in its simpler form, pen and paper.

     Accepting the above statement invites us to believe that all “Lines” are “Invisible” traces of a kind of performance and what is referred to as the “Visible Line” could be only the “Visible” documentation of what is “Invisible” in its nature. However the recording could also be “Invisible” where it is saved in the “Memory” of the “Human”.

     In her practice, the artist endeavours to develop some form of two & three dimensional visual recording of the performance of  the  “Invisible Lines”, which are influenced by her selective cultural references before being interpreted and stylised via her innovative and artistic mind.

The above image is a digital documentation of a culturally charged performance of a series of imaginary invisible lines of a dance inside the mind of the artist which through a spontaneous process between the mind and the body is translated into mechanical movements of her hand, using the “Illustrator” software, while the visual sense remains in charge of the accuracy and faithfulness of the documentation.

---------------------------------------------

This study will attempt to be an innovative Practice as Research of the behaviour of visual documentation of “Lines” in 2 & 3 dimensional art formats.

Interdisciplinary aspects of recording are practiced as researched; e.g. hand drawing, digital drawing, calligraphy, sculpture as well as digital recording and the use of  internet communication. 

Two dimensional recording: To practice as research two dimensional recording, inquiry is launched into the visible and invisible lines of thought and figurative poetry of three Persian female poetesses of the mid 19^th to 20^th century.

     1. Tahirih-Qurratu'l-`Ayn-Fátimih

       Baraghání (1814/1817–1852)

     2. Parvin Etesami (1907 – 1941)

     3. Forough Farrokhzad (1935 - 1967) 

---------------------------------

Key Questions:

1.    What is the origin of the “Line”? 

2.    Does the “Line” exist outside the concept of place and time?

3.    What is the nature of the “Visible Line” and “Invisible Line”?

4.    Is the “Line” a “Concrete Phenomenon” or a “Performatic Concept” (performance related concept) which is defined by the “Movement” of a phenomenon / article within the axes of place and time?

5.    Could it be said that what is commonly understood as the “Line” is a softcopy of a recording of the trace of a performance; or a movement on the canvas of the memory of the onlooker; or a hardcopy form of recording of the trace of a performance with the use of some technological device such as pen and paper? 

6.    What is the significance of the “Line” in the “Arts”? In other words, does the “Arts” refer to documentation of the “Invisible Lines” which are stylised through the subjective mind of the artist or other paradigms should be considered?

7.    Are the various disciplines of art of the same nature?

8.  How the performance of an “Invisible Line” can be documented in a “Visual” format