TEHRAN — In an attempt to show his concern over water crisis Masoud Nikdel covered himself in mud and sat motionless on the stairways of Milad Tower for three straight hours, what he himself calls: the crisis experience.

In an interview with Mehr magazine, Nikdel explained his motives and reasons for what he has done earlier.

Nikdel is a 34-year-old Iranian artist from Mashhad Province. He has started his artistic career since 2000, but he showcased his first work of art named “Irandokht” (literally meaning the daughter of Iran) in an art festival in 2012 which came in first.

“Irandokht is a sculpture made out of stone which signifies the grace and elegance of an Iranian girl,” Nikdel noted.

Additionally, he has created some artistic designs out of dead and dried trees with chainsaw in Mashhad streets.

“The dead trees are destined to be cut, but I think that once they have blessed us with a healthier weather, so now it’s not fair to cut them right away,” Nikdel said. “I decided to shape the trees into something beautiful with the very tool which is used to cut them, a chainsaw.”

“I took advice from environmental activist on the subject of the water crisis and I decided to do something to express my sympathy towards the Earth by identification,” the artist said.

Using the earth gathered from Lavasan Mountains in north of Tehran province and mixing it with the water obtained from the river over there Nikdel turned himself into something symbolizing the earth.

“I covered myself in the mud and sat on the Milad Tower stairways with my back to the tower, to show my objection toward technology as it is the symbol of technology in Iran’s capital,” Nikdel said. “The technology which is good but usually destructive.”

Sitting there with his eyes closed he could hear people laughing at him, calling him crazy and making fun of him.

“I knew that all these people will change their mind later, when they see the feedback on what I did,” he said. “I used telegram and sent my picture to four groups. I knew that it would go viral in a blink of an eye.”

Nikdel said, “Due to the wind and cold weather the muscles on the left side of my face went numb for some time. But I would keep on doing such works of art to warn the public against the water crisis.”

“The crisis experience is a performance, which is one of the best techniques to interact with and involve the public,” Nikdel highlighted.

Here’s Nikdel description of his three-hour performance:

“I close my eyes to the world, and I can just hear. I listen closely… people are laughing at me calling me crazy, and some assume that I am a statue. My lips are covered with dried mud and I can’t talk. I’m the Earth, I’m in pain, silent, motionless, and patient, but you keep on hurting me. I can’t take it anymore; my legs are shivering. I want to stand up and shout: the Earth is dying. Suddenly I feel something warm touching my fingers, an angle, a sweet little girl, stops me. I smile at her with a face covered with dried mud. I tell myself: I’m not the Earth, the earth is incredibly patient. I can’t take it anymore. I wonder: indeed how long the earth is going to tolerate us?”

MQ/PA


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“I covered myself in the mud and sat on the Milad Tower stairways with my back to the tower, to show my objection toward technology as it is the symbol of technology in Iran’s capital,” Nikdel said