@ HCI – Division for Human-Computer Interaction,
Techno-Z Salzburg Bauteil V, Jakob-Haringer-Straße 8, 5020 Salzburg
It’s our pleasure to welcome our next subnetAIR in March: Niloufar Shirani! Wednesday, March 5th, she will present her project and talk about her work.
ABOUT:
In Shiranis Project Zahhak/Rudiment Persian mythology and the timeless materiality of porcelain meet video, sound and scientifically generated MRI images observing the physical brain, reflecting how we store data or loose information: biologically, physically and historically. By juxtaposing anatomical forms like the coccyx—a vestige of evolution—with imagery of brains affected by Alzheimer’s, the artist weaves a compelling dialogue about decay, memory, and human fragility.
Niloufar Shirani on her project:
Ceramics, an ancient material, also plays an important role in science and technology in the modern world – be it in the shell of spacecraft or in medical prostheses. In the past, ceramics served as a medium for preserving writing and information on tablets, repeatedly crossing the boundary between art and science. As someone who is intensively involved with ancient Eastern themes, I can see a powerful connection between contemporary technology, ceramics as a material and meaningful historical concepts. This connection expands and enriches both fields. One example of this synergy is my project ‘Rudiment’, an installation that combines ceramic sculptures with video and clay elements and creates a contemporary interpretation of the human and animal body through anatomical forms.
It offers a contemporary interpretation of the ancient Persian myth of Zahhak, who is depicted in the story as a dragon-like king, who eats the brains of young humans. The project aims to reinterpret old mythological concepts through anatomical and scientific forms. Brain deterioration and the loss of
information are current problems that affect both humans and computer systems and are becoming increasingly important in the digital age.
SPEAKER:
Niloufar Shirani, born 1985 in Isfahan (Iran), graduated in Fine Arts (Painting and Sculpture) at the Universities of Tehran, Koblenz and Munich and is a laureate of CEU Loves Art, Art Award (Third Prize) 2023- The Club of Female European Entrepreneurs, LFA Förderbank Bayern 2020, DAAD scholarship holder 2018 and Polish Culture Ministry 2016. Shirani lives and works in Munich, Germany.
More about Niloufar Shirani’s work: http://niloufarshirani.com/
picture credit: Niloufar Shirani
language: EN
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subnetAIR 2025 on the topic of „vision“.
Insight and dialogue in the field of tension: art, research, technology. www.subnet.at subnetAIR is a cooperation between the Center for Human Computer Interaction (University of Salzburg) and subnet.