ABOUT IRUS ART SHOW

IRUS art opening was a great success! There were many people who were interested in Persian culture and the process of our collaboration. Something that was very interesting for me was that some people still wanted to talk about politics. It is so weird that anytime the name of Iran comes up, many people in America think political not cultural. I started IRUS project because I was frustrated with the one sided, dark image of Iran that American media continues to promote. I wanted to break down the cultural barriers and help to give a more balanced view to Iran. When I look at our art works in our show, all I see is the cultural exchange that we tried to deal with. Some people in our opening asked me what I think would happen between Iran and United States. I just don't know what will happen and honestly, all I care is presenting my country and my culture without the media or political bias. I just hope this project continues to happen so there are more people in America who can understand Persian culture and see the beauty of Iranian art. I also want to say: IF YOU EVER DECIDE TO DESCRIBE IRUS ART SHOW FOR OTHER PEOPLE, DESCRIBE IT AS IT IS, NOT THE WAY YOU WANT IT TO BE!!

NEWS

IRUS ART'S IRANIAN TEAM BLOG IS NOW PUBLIC: HERE

Collaboration:Second Side

Collaboration:First Side

ALL TEAM MEMBERS

IRUS:SUSTAINBLE ART

***All the Maps and Timelines in this post are made and designed by Morehshin Allahyari for Advanced Design Class

Project Description
IRUS is both a research project and actual exhibition that analyze cultural
exchange through art between Iranian and American artists whom attempt to
form a dialogue through art collaboration, using digital media as a tool to cross
and overcome the restrictions of mailing system between Iran and United
States. IRUS is a way to share research, experience intercultural exhibitions
which try to see people of other countries as diverse individuals rather than
nations and suggest the similar practices that aim to develop dialogue to foster
greater understanding of one another.



IRUS Dialogue
The Iranian team will send their individual projects to the American team; the American team will complete the projects, adhering to the established guidelines of collaboration listed below.

The American team will send their individual projects to the Iranian team; the Iranian team will complete the projects, adhering to the established guidelines of collaboration listed below.  

Each member of IRUS will develop an interpretation of the Persian story of Scheherazade (One Thousand and One Nights, mistranslated as Arabian Nights in the west).

Each member of IRUS will develop an interpretation of the works of American storyteller, Mark Twain.

Collaboration Guidelines:
Trust members of the other team in the handling of work.
Respect the cultural and religious perspectives of each artist.
Specifically communicate how the work (or elements of the work) may not be altered.
The members of IRUS, who collaborated on a particular piece, are the owners of that piece, whether it sells or not.





DIGITAL SOLUTIONS

�� Traveling 3,200 kilometres by air
�� Driving 3,060 kilometres in a mid-sized car
�� Driving 9,700 kilometres in a hybrid car
�� Operating a personal computer for 10,600 hours

IRUS

Carbon Footprint / Resource Consumption
Transportation for meetings
The use of computer during our meetings
Power/heat/air condition/water/food in our meetings
Mailing from Iran To United States (2 times)
Mailing from United States to Turkey
Mailing from Turkey to Iran
Art supplements: Canvas, Paint, Photos, Projector, Screen, Papers, etc.
Press Package: 700 Business Cards, 1000 Invitation Cards, 700 DVDs, 1000 Posters.
Exhibition: Food, Paper, Power, Heat, Audience’s Transportation.
American’s Artist Trip to Iran

IRUS: Iran's Team Pictures from their last meeting/ Nov 20

IRUS/U.S Team

Committees

Artist Committee: Must submit project description with budget. Maintain a page for our wordpress (Ask Richard if you need help). Attend all meetings (if you can't make it let us know). Meet all deadlines for Art work. Keep up with google docs/calender/groups. Have an art statement with finished work for exhibition.

• Morehshin Allahyari
• Andrew Blanton
• Richard Burgess
• Matthew Contos
• Bailey Ferguson
• Josh Fishburn
• Marie Janiszewski
• Elizabeth Henrichs


Budget/funding Committee: Research and apply for grants. Organize financial information. Develop and prepare financial spreadsheet. Organize sales and distribution of money. Keep up with google docs/calendar/groups. Attend all meetings

• Morehshin Allahyari
• Andrew Blanton

Promotion Committee: Develop logo, and promote the IRUS project. Keep up with google Attend all meetings docs/calendar/groups. Finish and maintain proposal. Keep up with google docs/calendar/groups. Attend all meetings.

• Andrew Blanton
• Bailey Ferguson
• Josh Fishburn
• Marie Janiszewski

Communication/Deadlines/Documentation committee: Maintain communication through google calendar/groups/discussion. Send reminders about meetings, deadlines, and events to each member. Keep up with documentation of notes, photos and our general progress.


• Morehshin Allahyari
• Andrew Baldwin
• Josh Fishburn


Exhibition Committee: Find gallery/location for show. Curate show.


• Morehshin Allahyari
• Richard Burgess
• Bailey Ferguson
• Marie Janiszewski

Coordination Committee: Coordinate with all the committees to stay on track so we are successful.

• Morehshin Allahyari
• Andrew Blanton
• Richard Burgess





Deadlines
• Nov-15: Ideas with Shahrzad
• Dec-5: Physical works to Iran
• Dec15:Digital works to Iran
• Jan30- Finish with each others works-
• Feb 15- All Denver work Finished
• Exhibition: March 21-29th

MEETINGS' REPORTS

Meeting Report/Number3

Date: 09/27/2008

Time:10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Present: Morehshin Allahyari– Bailey Ferguson– Matt Contos– Marie Janiszewski– Natalie Nguyen– Josh Fishburn– Alex Aston– Richard Burgess– Andrew Baldwin – Andrew Blanton



1. Subjects/Project

* Morehshin and Bailey – Cooperative photography project – Each presents their point of view – Morehshin, Iran – Bailey, US – address identity and self dialogue – belonging

* Bailey – Scheherazade – symbol of peaceful dialogue – Each of us make our own Scheherazade story – section of the gallery/show dedicated to this micro-project –

* Matt & Alex: How to book – Gorilla how to guide – Gorilla Games – Book of various traditional American games adapted to fit with overall project, e.g. Freeze Tag – Matt & Alex will start by setting up approximately 10 games and hopefully others will draw from that and contribute some games of their own -Ask if Jaime wants to get involved?

* Marie: Graffiti? Transportable? Using decomposable/ephemeral materials – call for submissions – dialogue would be decisions from each team – Crazy Hats – deals with issue of what can be shipped to Iran and from there to here – Or maybe Scarves (Morehshin’s)

* Liz: Something based on textiles – poss. Scarves – fashion materials/textiles

* Natalie & Josh: Coded language to tell a story – combine ideas to tell a story in coded language that Iran Team could modify – Book would be transferable medium

* Richard: Find several people, possibly 6, all over 60 years old. Ask them to supply series of photos from when they were very young until now. Sit with them and have them tell their stories – record the story telling to possibly go with the photos

* Andrew: Cross-threading of folk music – Persian and US – Sound sculpture of this folk music – transfer the sounds to physical – combination of American and Persian folk instruments – Have poems read to create sounds to build off of dialogue theme
* Charlie – link to Cuba show

1. Andrew Baldwin: Google Groups, Matt & Richard given “Owner Access” – Hard drive storage for documentation – Calendar: not sensible to have each person post their individual calendars
2. Timeline – Iran deadline
3. Update on Iranian Team –Developed their ideas more - 4 people: paradoxes, tradition vs. modernity illustrate how individual’s attitudes change over time – Hands/Sign Language Dialogue: photography & video – One person: Scheherazade, - Logos, exchange – Looking to find private sponsors – Each person create a story for the Scheherazade project.
4. Funding – Through KA-TET to IRUS so all is less direct to IRUS project – Even if someone wants to invest directly to IRUS, we can ask them to go through the KA-TET
5. Break
6. Proposals Workshop – Goals: develop a dialogue, What’s the need? We lack dialogue without preconditions – art is a traditional tool for dialogue – Need to frame our ideas – Need to understand each other as, we are limited by seeing each other as nations rather than individuals.
7. It’s our aim to cultivate a more dynamic perception of each other’s cultures.
8. For next week: complete IRUS Proposal on Google Docs – Bailey will setup for us to each contribute – Establish frame for our end, using Google Groups – create discussion topic “Framework – everyone contributes to discussion – Individual proposals in two weeks – send mini-bio info to Morehshin top go with our photos – Charlie will talk to Paco, Object and Thought.



Meeting Report/Number2

Date: 09/19/2008

Time: 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

10:47/Introductions


· Elizabeth Hendrix: Painting /printmaking

· Bailey: painting

· Marie Janasuesky: photography

· Matt Contos: Painting

· Moreshin: Photograghy, MA work, video art

· Andrew Blanton: Music

· Josh Fishburn: EMAD, video art, critical game design

· Natalie Nuen: Painting

· Andrew Baldwin: website

· Alex: Facilitation

· Richard: Everything

10:55 Goals of Iran Project

General History

· Moreshin’s presentation

o Discussion with Richard

o Has gone in different directions

o 19 artists in Iran

o Weblog in Farseei, trouble

o 29 of October is the deadline

· Matt

o Dialogue is the theme

o Respond to each other as artists

o Some symbols might need to be unchanged

11:00 Richard reading the past minutes

· Suggestion of making Moreshin project coordinator

· Blogspot, Iranian blog

· Jaime joining our group

· Discuss the need for more artists

o Performance artist

o Graphic designer w/ typography experience

o Meetings every Saturday at 10:30 am

· Our Ideas

o Fundraising

§ Service learning office at DU

§ Matt to check with Lawrence

§ International House

ú Dan Jacob

ú Possible workshop and need a proposal

· Need a group to go talk to him

§ Knows a person who owns a gallery in Santa Fe.

· Charlie Roderick

· Tentative Deadline to be Jan 15 for the Show

· Stop motion video of us working

· Pool of information

· Artists statements

· Updating our proposal

o Every member shares their vision

o General Documentation

· IRUS Iranian US

· Concerns-Ideas from Iran

o Dialogue as a theme

o Exchanging incomplete work

§ Trust

§ Issues of what you really care about in a specific piece

§ Non-political

§ Artist’s statement/how your piece relates to dialogue

§ Cultural exchange

o Lists of images off-limits, what is taboo.

o Censorship worried about destroying original work

o Collaborative work just within the US and just within IR

§ Each team would have an original example of the others work






o Possible rules

11:15 Needs access to weblog

· Natalie

· Liz

· Alex

· Richard

Becoming more specific about the project

11:23 Moreshin showing Cuban US collaboration

· Dialogue of Folding

· Using Digital Media/secrecy

· Academic resistance against government

· Brazil conference

11:28 New people

· Explaining my role

o Liaison to KaTet

· KaTet: as a community

· Calendar and schedule

o When you are and aren’t available

o Google calendar

o Google Groups

· Andrew looking for funding

o Non-profits into raising funds

o Other possible groups to get involved in

o Trip to Tehran

11:38 Next time work on proposal

· Hour and half workshop

11:40 Marie

· Nick Sutton grandmother are the Us ambassador of film and arts

· Invite him/ proposal first

11:43 New people

· Natalie finding how she can fit in through this quarter

· Elizabeth similar situation

· Jaime down for joining in

· Alex as coordinator

11:49 separate google calendar for KaTet

· Community space

· Get excited

11:52 Iranian artists subjects

· Next week have our ideas on subjects ready

· Four people on an installation project

o 1000 legs/pants for 1000 people/legs?

o Illustration project

o Sammin video box? Mute and deaf photography

o Vanan painting, photography

o Monen Rugs

o Paymon painting

o Medium flint funk weight

§ Dialogue between instrument and song

§ Writings on money

o Kids painting about the US

o Movement and form

§ Video photography

o Form and Dance (see above)

o Sue attack (mask?)

o Sharazad

12:03 Traditional Persian tales and put them in an American landscape

· To Do list

· Proposals

o Small artist’s statement

· Look for money

· Calendar

· Figure out a deadline

· Contact list

· Phone for KaTet

· Come up with cool names

· Moreshin handling photos


MEETING REPORT/Number1

DATE: 09/13/2008

TIME: 11a.m. to 1p.m.

People We missed in our meeting: Andrew Blanton, Josh Fishburn, Jaime.




People we are looking to add: Natalie, Artists from Installation class…

Jaime – member of USIR? he is member of KA-TET

YES

chatted with Morehshin, wants to meet with Matt

he seems committed, Matt will speak to him

Andrew Baldwin will be here from now on

send him the notes

send him schedule – Google Calendar

Weblog – set up today

need to invite Richard to USIR blog

We each need to add photo to our weblog

Maybe Josh can help us with it, or CHARLIE (need to speak to Charlie – invite him in)

10:30am meeting every Saturday

thinking of adding more people

performance artist – Morehshin can speak to class

graphic designer

try to get outsiders (out of DU) involved

budgets – PINS deadline is Sept. 18

international house – funds (Morehshin and Matt will speak to them this Thursday before 10)

get weblog up beforehand so can reference funders to see sight

*Morehshin’s position for this project

this is her show – curator?

has a leadership role, but needs help

trying to keep them motivated, 2 emails per day

wants to do video with more Iranian theme

other members in US can do painting sculpture

Morehshin can write a proposal of what her position is

we need more numbers but she can count in both ways

we have 9 members, want 2 more (we just need ppl to show up)

doesn’t have to be 1-to-1, can be dealt with project-to-project

Morehshin translates Iran team proposal to us

they didn’t write

spoke about our idea- incomplete work switch

problem – this subject is so broad, need more specifics

theme: “dialogue” – essentially what we’re trying to do




concept of art – want to send works incomplete to see what will happen

good to know what other person will do on work without

knowing about it – need trust – we’re all artists

need to document all parts of working on each side project

- artist will be more motivated

-know who’s doing what

*need to be careful about religious iconography(Not to offend anyone)

problem – Jewish ppl in Israel

they want to know what we think – WE LIKE IT!

free about starting conversation

about cultural exchange

make dialogue legible (like Matt’s collab painting)

multimedia – projecting onto painted screens

Morehshin – typography idea (bring in Natalie)

Natalie – graphics, design, illustration

Richard and Marie speak to her

Morehshin’s friend is going to Iran in 2 months – can put together $200 together

We give money to her and have her deliver work

KA-TET can support this – little projects to build money

– whole KA-TET can get involved…petty cash

worst comes to worst, we pay ourselves

ask professors, ppl to raise funds

source: Service Learning Office – if proj is considered Community

Service thorugh DU, get money

Lawrence Argent (Matt) – possibility for funding

Get weblog up! Josh, CHARLIE

get Charlie involved, show him space

have 1.5 yrs on space, could probably be here longer

IRAN SHOW SHOULD BE DOWNTOWN

backup plan – KA-TET spac

Morehshin has possible space

need deadline – JANUARY 15 (after school starts Winter Quarter)

PINS grant if for Winter Quarter – later deadline

sending mail takes time – FedEx (will need to send art somewhere else before Iran)

Need to agree on projects, figure out shipping, figure out funding to determine deadline

We want to go to Iran

Who will be owner of projects? How to sell?




need to document the money we spend

money can reimburse costs, or can go into KA-TET, or can pay us, or can go to whoever worked on projects

or if sells in Iran – Iran gets to decide money

if sells in US – Us decides what to do with money

make sure these artworks are open in collaborative dialogue

WANT THIS TO BE TRUST BASED

PROPOSAL

Over the years, the people of Iran and the United States have experienced an increasing cultural disconnect. As citizens of these countries, we recognize that there is a lack of adequate discourse between our cultures, seeing each other as nations rather than diverse individuals. We believe by developing dialogue our communities can foster greater understanding of one another. Mutual understanding will help to cultivate respect for both our differences and common dreams, allowing us to work toward a more peaceful existence. Cultures have used art as a catalyst to communicate ideas and identity for millennia. As artists we aim to create dialogue through collaboration.

Two teams of artists, one in Tehran and another in Denver, have assembled under one name: IRUS (Iran - United States). Both teams consist of artists proficient in various mediums. Through collaborative interaction we plan to establish a much needed dialogue between our two nations. The project began when the KA-TET approached Morehshin Allahyari on the possibility of working around the concept of underground art in Iran to confront the misconceptions between our cultures. After developing and refining a basic concept, developing a proposal, and gathering a team, Allahyari invited Negin Ehtesabian, a Persian artist in Tehran, to form a team of artists. This Iranian team co-developed a proposal with the KA-TET.

Starting with our mutual respect for art, we intend to establish collaborative projects between our groups. Using the theme of “Dialogue,” it is our attempt to present the perspectives of each group in a respectful, trusting and encouraging manner. In this process, we are not only developing art, but also participating in a functional dialogue with each other as artists and individuals. This functional dialogue will manifest itself locally in conversations among individuals and globally through the modification of artwork by all the members of IRUS. A cultural dialogue will also take place by proxy through the stories of Iran and the United States. Through exhibiting our work and documentation of the process, we will extend our dialogue to the public.

Details of the implementation of this dialogue will be as follows:

1. The Iranian team will send their individual projects to the American team; the American team will complete the projects, adhering to the established guidelines of collaboration listed below.

2. The American team will send their individual projects to the Iranian team; the Iranian team will complete the projects, adhering to the established guidelines of collaboration listed below.

3. Each member of IRUS will develop an interpretation of the Persian story of Scheherazade (One Thousand and One Nights, mistranslated as Arabian Nights in the west).

4. Each member of IRUS will develop an interpretation of the works of American storyteller, Mark Twain.

5. IRUS will hold exhibitions of this work in the United States and Iran. These exhibits will include documentation of the project.

Collaboration Guidelines:

· Trust members of the other team in the handling of work.

· Respect the cultural and religious perspectives of each artist.

· Specifically communicate how the work (or elements of the work) may not be altered.

· The members of IRUS, who collaborated on a particular piece, are the owners of that piece, whether it sells or not.

PARTICIPANTS

U.S. TEAM

Morehshin Allahyari

Andrew Blanton

Richard Burgess

Matthew Contos

Bailey Ferguson

Josh Fishburn

Marie Janiszewski

Elizabeth Henrichs

IRAN TEAM

M.Hasan Ezzatzadeh

M.Moin Samadi

Majid Kashani

Neda Azimi

Negin Ehtesabian

Paris Mahtash

Saeed Ensafi

Sahar Bardaei

Shabnam Khoshdel

Vana Nabipour