The Absence of a Name
Installation View
Ongoing since 2020
“The absence of a name” is an ongoing project that includes documentary research, oral history, and a biographical investigation that is linked through sound, video, and installation. By using an anonymous gravestone at the cemetery at Qom, Iran, the installation revolves around the speculation into an individual's identity. The only information found on the gravestone is “Kaboutar, the child of Ali.” Kaboutar is the Persian equivalent of pigeon. Considering the cultural implications of this rare name and the pigeon’s association with public spaces, the installation is dedicated to the anonymity of names and their associated identities. In this instance, my biographical research aims to not only uncover an individual identity but to reckon with historical omissions and the way these omissions can account for a prismatic rendering of the collective naming of coincidence through identity.
Kaboutar
Commander Kaftar
Installation View
Installation View