kolkhara:

Soffreh Meaning Tablecloth - Iranian Artist Gita Meh

“Soffreh” means tablecloth in Farsi language. It is a ritual drawn from my memory and my personal history. This performance is a food offering made by women for women, only.

An interactive piece. Women cook and paint on specific dishes prior to the performance. Ceremony turns to consumption of painted foods. In this installation-performance one practices a kind of independence, liberation from the public within the space of the gallery.

A 11 feet in diameter tablecloth is poured out of 300 pounds of sugar on the ground in a circular shape. Prayer carpets in various colors are placed around the sugar-tablecloth. On each prayer rug a folded veil is placed as the audience experiences wearing a chadoor while trying to serve food, eat and communicate.

This work is drawn from my personal relationship to friendship. Soffreh becomes a prayer place, a dance place, a home place, it becomes belonging. It reflects the architecture of my past in a personal context. I investigate issues such as place, space, pleasure and identity. - Gita Meh

(Source: isqineeha)