Hope, in flux, 2021
Paint marker, acrylic paint, gold leaf and mirrored glass
Commissioned mural
The Siberian Crane is one of the rarest and most endangered crane species in the world. One particular Siberian crane makes a 5000 km migration journey between Siberia to Iran every year. Siberian cranes are considered critically endangered by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). As the population size for Siberian cranes have dropped drastically, due to hunting and degradation of habitat, this crane makes his migration every year completely alone. The crane has been named Omid, translating to hope in Persian, and his annual presence in the wetlands of Fereydunkenar bring exactly that.
As a first generation Canadian, to a Polish mother and Iranian father, Omid’s migration story reminds me of my own cultural identity. I have never been to Iran and have always felt detached from the culture, yet also detached from my Polish ancestry. Is there something that makes us more a part of our culture? Does speaking the language, eating the food or dressing the part help make me more or less Iranian/Polish? Or perhaps I am not one, or the other and like Omid, I have two ancestral homes.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327070774_'Omid'_last_wild_Siberian_Crane_in_the_WP
