Research Abstract

Fluid to Arid: Exploring the Notions of Life and Loss Through the Lens of the Lut Desert Geography

This practice-led research project explores the notions of life and loss arising from investigation of the deep geological history of the Lut Desert in Kerman, Iran. Through studio exploration and development of creative techniques, I respond to the forms and patterns derived from the erosion, decay and demise of a vast lake that covered the region in the ancient past. I overlay the region’s current arid landscape with its prehistoric state as a marine environment, presenting the two phases as equally significant. Driven by the theoretical and practical investigations, the studio research incorporates the cartographic record of the Lut landscape, the fossil records of Kerman and ecological theory. I further examine and reflect on the phenomenon of aridity through personal, cultural and geographical associations with the region. A heuristic approach to studio research and autoethnographic analysis has been undertaken to reflect on my personal experience of living in the desert environment and how this informs my art practice. At the cultural level, the impact of water shortage and scarcity of survival resources on art, mythology and social experiences is outlined along with the history of a region grappling with barrenness. I locate my research within a community of art practitioners that engage with water, arid environments and ecology. While the climate change I discuss in my research dates back to prehistoric times, the devastating impacts it left behind on the landscape serve as a warning of the consequences of unchecked, anthropogenic environmental degradation. By illustrating the narrative of my fellow citizens’ struggles in an extreme environment, I aim to bring to light the impact of losing water and natural resources on the landscape in the Anthropocene.

Bio

Sogand A Fard is a multi-disciplinary Iranian artist who currently lives and works in Melbourne. Her practice explores cultural and geographical intersections through a variety of mediums, including printing, painting, terracotta relief and installation. Sogand was born in the desert city of Kerman and experienced firsthand water crisis and inhospitable living environment. While the issue of water scarcity is a massive concern for Iranian people, she was enlightened by her father in early childhood about the depletion of water resources throughout her homeland. Being inspired by her father’s profession as a geologist and water engineer, her works interrogate ideas of drought, aridity and the vulnerability of ecosystems in the face of climate change. Sogand’s studio practice examines and reflects on the phenomenon of aridity, incorporating research into cultural, geographic and environmental change over deep time. Bringing together ephemeral multimedia installations with traditional Iranian forms such as large-scale clay relief in public space, Sogand seeks to create new contemporary forms that facilitate cross-cultural dialogue and prompt a re-examination of our relationship to desert lands in the 21st Century.

sogand.a.fard@gmail.com
@sogand_a.fard (instagram)