ALAS FOR FREEDOM

Sinema Transtopia, Berlin, March.2026
The piece on the diagram

This piece is a whispering in Persian, whose title is identical to the poem itself, neither more nor less. Its entire body is composed of the letters of the word ‘freedom,’(1) separated and set adrift. Each letter appears as a reflection, floating on the surface of red wine(2), carried by its slow, circular counterclockwise motion.

The liquid does not rest. It trembles, turns, and presses toward the edge of spilling, as if unable to contain its own movement. The letters drift without control, sliding across the surface, refusing to take a fixed position.

What takes shape is a continuous dicing of the word itself, its body cut and recut through motion, scattered across the skin of the wine and held within the curve of the bowl.

Notes & References: 

  1. In the Farsi script, while most letters connect, certain letters always remain detached. The five-letter word “Azadi” (meaning freedom) is unique because each of its letters stands alone. This performance is inspired by the word’s visual independence and structural characteristics.
The Ghent Altarpiece, Hubert & Jan van Eyck, 1432

2. In Christian theology, the lamb is a direct symbol of Jesus Christ, often referred to as the ‘Lamb of God’, the Mystic Lamb, or The Lamb of God (Agnus Dei) who takes away the sin of the world.