About the work:

Inspired by The Book of Kings, or Shahnameh, these contextually charged artworks suggest temporal linkages; a renewed, digitised interpretation of an age-old Epic Poem. Written by native poet Ferdowsi between c. 977 and 1010 CE, the Shahnameh is the national epic of Iran and recounts a Persian golden age via some 50,000 ‘distichs’ or couplets. This work attests a preservation of mythologies and histories that here lend Dawes’ work an arcane and scholarly agency. Creation creates organic transient landscapes inspired by the Book of Kings and the natural flora and fauna of Iran.

About the music:

This piece is rooted in its simplicity and its airiness. The elements interact in a playful way while linking Iran’s ancient past with an unfamiliar future. The setar holds the suspense while you dive into a whirlpool of echoes and textures that make you feel ancient and modern all at once.