ISTHMUS
According to Wikipedia, an isthmus is a narrow piece of land connecting two larger areas across a body of water, which would otherwise separate them.
- In medical terminology, an isthmus refers to a narrow band of tissue connecting two larger parts of a structure or a narrow passage connecting two cavities.
- The Arabic word "Barzakh," also used in Persian, is often translated as "isthmus," signifying a place that separates the living from the hereafter. Barzakh is believed to be where unborn souls reside in the lowest heaven, where an angel imbues souls into the wombs. It is a dream world where the dreamer is both alive and dead. In Sufism, the isthmus is not just the abode of the human soul after death but also a place the soul can visit during sleep and meditation.
- All the while you awaited your arrival in this world, you roamed in the isthmus. Everything began there, and our journey commenced from that point. We aim to remember the isthmus, to return to our origins. First, you fell asleep in a cocoon, and then dreams of truth rained down upon you. But, ultimately, after awakening, you experienced forgetfulness.
-In this project, the dominant techniques are photography, artificial intelligence, and medical tools, and the works are presented in the form of photos and videos.
The photos are taken at the Pathology Museum of the University of Tehran.
-Work on this project is still ongoing.
The photos are taken at the Pathology Museum of the University of Tehran.
-Work on this project is still ongoing.
- Where did your journey begin? Do you recall the start? There was a time when you were a soul without a body. You were beckoned from the isthmus, and you became a wanderer in your mother's yet empty womb. You watched that body grow for many days. When the time came, and you slipped inside, darkness surrounded you. Those eyes you never opened revealed nothing, yet you sought to discover something unknown.
- In the special, warm silence of the dark, your first revelations unfolded. You made your heart beat for the first time, creating a sound everyone heard—the rhythm of your heart, your language. Fresh blood coursed through your veins, making you feel numb and dizzy. You grew restless, missing the light. For the first time, you drifted into sleep. You were once again the free soul, gently detaching from the body you now called your own. You embarked on a dream, seeking the light of truth. It was your first slumber, and it transformed you forever.
- Breaking free from darkness, you journeyed to the land of dreams. When you fell asleep, you returned to the isthmus, but this time you inhabited a body. It was peculiar how, upon opening your eyes, your hands were the first body parts you beheld, right in front of you. You knew they were yours but were uncertain of their capabilities.
- In those mystical dreams, truth rained down, revealing every aspect of the life you were eager to comprehend. You observed it all, touched each dream with your five fingers, but nothing around you remained solid and still. Everything you attempted to grasp flew away. It all appeared ephemeral and powdery, perpetually dissipating into space, like glowing sand.
- Floating in the isthmus, you witnessed the gate. The dreams were luminous and guided you until you reached it, until the final moments. Upon entering, a magical water bathed you, purging you of everything you had absorbed. It felt like flying, a small bird passing through the gate.
- The gate was merely a portal. The moment you passed through it, you awoke anew. You entered this world with empty hands, yet traces of true dreams were imprinted on your palms. Countless intertwined lines, remnants of the truths you attempted to grasp.
- You witnessed it all before your arrival, driven by curiosity to understand this world and human existence. In your dreams, you found the answers you sought, but you could carry nothing with you, not even a single memory; you had to forget in order to live it yourself.
- Life is the journey you had to embark upon. There is no turning back; that is the truth: "All life is sorrowful, and living is forever a becoming."
- Every sleep will eventually end, and only some dreams are remembered upon awakening. After your first sleep, oblivion followed, and you forgot the isthmus. You began your earthly life, believing you were merely that mortal body, those eyes and hands.
- You must remember what you forgot; the true dreams are etched on the palm of your hands. You will always be that wandering soul in the isthmus, forever curious and free.
