Marking the beginning of spring and a time of renewal and growth, this Nowruz celebration features three local Iranian-Canadian artists showcasing their creative interpretations of Persian New Year through live performances and edible food art.

Doors at 6:30pm
Performances at 7pm
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Live performance by Katayoon Yousefbigloo
Telstar-12 is the name of a satellite used to transmit illegal broadcasts of western-influenced Iranian pop music videos from North America to Iran. This performance deconstructs music and music videos produced by the post-Islamic Revolution's cultural diaspora in Los Angeles studios in the 90s and early 2000s, using guitar noise and feedback to make audible the degradation and distortion of culture through the mediated transmission of the Telstar-12 satellite.

Sofreh by Sahba Sad
Inspired by afternoon gatherings of women to listen to a religious performance and eat simple food called Sofreh (سُفره, سُفرة, n. place of eating, dining table, dining table cloth, spread), this installation is an exploration of femininity through edible arrangements. Elements of traditional sofreh gatherings appear here in the form of style of food and the presence of a female performer; however the religious connotations are respectfully dropped as the artist suspects that other non-religious variations of these Sofreh gatherings must have taken place in the past that were not recorded or documented.

Cheese, herbs and walnuts wrapped in bread are an essential component of a Sofreh, symbolic of the humble origins of this tradition. It is also common to serve a seasonal and regional Ash (Iranian soup) and the guests who may have a wish can stir the Ash pot while thinking of their desires. Although dates are also often found in a Sofreh, they’re commonly associated with mourning ceremonies and are present here in respect for the lives lost in the past year.

Live reading by Aryo Khakpour
What a cOld New Year, 2023
Mixed words, paper, mouth
9.5min - 13min (0.15/hr - 0.21/hr)

Old texts and elder writers have seeped into our muscles and memories and taken over our hearts. We hold them in reverence. We hold them in contempt. We hold them in. This is a reading and translating of a selection of written words in a collective space.

About the Artists
Lind Prize 2022 finalist Katayoon Yousefbigloo is an interdisciplinary artist and musician working with degraded media to reverse-engineer cultural narratives and mythologies. Her work often takes shape in media installation and performance, but leaves ephemera of text, music, and merchandise. She is a founding member of the experimental art collective Liquidation World, and holds an MFA from the School of Contemporary Arts at Simon Fraser University.
www.katayoonyousefbigloo.com

Sahba Sad (she/they) is an Iranian emerging multidisciplinary artist and writer exploring themes of epic and esoteric through a humorous linguistic lens and processing the findings into ritualistic games displayed in a wide range of mediums including video, performance and installation. Sahba’s work has hints of Middle East’s recent histories and flavors, dolma fillings, underground rebellions, bread as a weapon of anti colonization and forgotten revolutions.
www.sahbasad.day

Aryo Khakpour is a multidisciplinary performer, director and dramaturg. He holds a BFA in Theatre Performance from Simon Fraser University. He cofounded The Biting School, which was the company-in-residence at PuSh Festival and The Dance Centre 2018-2020. In his practice, he explores the dynamics of power, implications of ideologies, repetition of mythologies, and cultural adaptation. His practice is physical and surrealistic; it moves from theatre to performance art to dance to film and back to theatre; it deals with pain and pleasure.
www.bitingschool.com

Banner Image: Nima Gholamipour