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Shirzan Foundation

Shirzan Foundation supports the creation of 'The Seven Realms of Attar,' a multi-disciplinary performance inspired by Persian literature, promoting cultural diversity, unity, and hope through art that connects all life forms.

🌟 Support <a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tdeltJM4_Uo" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">ZARVAN - a Burning Man 2026 Honoraria Project</a>, by&nbsp;<a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.gazelledasti.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">Gazelle Dasti</a> 🌟&nbsp; ZARVAN - Time as a Witness ZARVAN is a 23 foot interactive sculpture at urban scale that combines art, engineering, and human experience within a single structure. The work is designed as a living system: its illuminated crown responds to human presence and crowd density, its ears enable direct communication between individuals through acoustic speaking tubes, and periscopes embedded in the eyes allow visitors to experience the world from the perspective of this standing figure in the desert. The form of ZARVAN draws from Persian carpet motifs and stained glass architectural inspiration within the crown, creating a synthesis of cultural heritage and contemporary geometric expression that embodies the concept of time in physical form. The structure is built with a modular steel skeleton and an off grid solar energy system, allowing it to operate independently in open public space and harsh environmental conditions. ZARVAN is not merely a sculpture; it is a platform for experience. The audience is not only a viewer but an active component of the work&rsquo;s function. Light shifts in response to human presence, voices travel between strangers, and perspective is transformed. In doing so, ZARVAN activates a moment of pause, connection, and reconsideration of perception in public space, reminding us of time not as measured hours, but as lived experience. Who is ZARVAN?ZARVAN, in ancient Iranian / Persian tradition, <a fr-original-style="" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zurvanism#:~:text=In%20Zurvanism%2C%20Zurvan%20was%20perceived%20as%20the%20god%20of%20infinite%20time%20and%20space%20and%20also%20known%20as%20%22one%22%20or%20%22alone.%22%20Zurvan%20was%20portrayed%20as%20a%20transcendental%20and%20neutral%20god%20without%20passion%3B%20one%20for%20whom%20there%20was%20no%20distinction%20between%20good%20and%20evil." rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">is the god of infinite time and space</a>, the embodiment of one of the most fundamental concepts in Iranian mysticism and cosmology. Yet ZARVAN is far more than a mythological figure or simple deity. It represents the primordial and the infinite: Forces that existed before creation, before duality, and before the material world takes form. In this worldview, time is not understood merely as a tool of measurement, but as an originating and foundational condition of existence itself, an invisible horizon within which being becomes possible. Rooted in deeply ancient and pre-Zoroastrian layers of Iranian mysticism and thought, ZARVAN reflects one of the most profound expressions of how Iranian culture has imagined origin, continuity, and the order of the cosmos. Why I Chose ZARVAN? I chose ZARVAN because it represents one of the most profound and lesser-known concepts within my Iranian / Persian heritage: time not as something measured, but as the primordial condition of existence itself. In ancient Iranian cosmology, ZARVAN is associated with boundless time, the unseen continuum that exists before creation, before duality, and before the visible world takes form. That idea deeply resonates with my practice. My work often explores perception, presence, memory, and the invisible systems that shape human experience. Naming this sculpture ZARVAN grounds the project in a cultural and philosophical lineage that is both deeply personal and universally human. It becomes a way to bring an ancient Iranian mysticism and cosmology into contemporary public space, not as a historical reference, but as a living framework through which light, sound, structure, and interaction can express time as something felt, shared, and embodied. Why It Matters?ZARVAN matters because it introduces a rarely represented dimension of Iranian mysticism and culture into the global language of contemporary public art. By translating an ancient cosmology of the infinite into an engineered, interactive sculpture, the work creates a bridge between cultural memory and future facing design. It repositions public sculpture as an embodied experience rather than a static monument, where light, sound, and human presence generate meaning in real time. Socially, it fosters pause, encounter, and collective awareness in shared space. Conceptually, it offers a new framework for how identity, mythology, and technology can coexist in large scale civic art. Designed as a durable modular system, ZARVAN is intended not only for temporary installation, but as a legacy work with long term placement potential in public and cultural environments. Learn more:&nbsp;<a fr-original-style="" href="https://www.canva.com/design/DAHLcwJ_fkI/Ul4h36bLRrCN7R1x4v1daw/view?utm_content=DAHLcwJ_fkI&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=h7cb0d2fe4d#1" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">ZARVAN deck</a> ---About&nbsp;<a fr-original-style="" href="https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/922473297" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">Shirzan Foundation</a>Shirzan Foundation, is a 501c3 non-profit fiscal partner to this project, allowing anyone to support it with a tax deductible donation. Shirzan charges no partner fees. So, 100% of funds donated will be passed onto the project. Also, Shirzan will match the first $25K in donations to this project. So, the first $25K outside donations, will net the project $50K in funding. Thank you for your generosity!

🌟 Support ZARVAN - a Burning Man 2026 Honoraria Project, by Gazelle Dasti 🌟 ZARVAN - Time as a WitnessZARVAN is a 23 foot interactive sculpture at urban scale that combines art, engineering, and human experience within a single structure. The work is designed as a living system: its illuminated crown responds to human presence and crowd density, its ears enable direct communication between individuals through acoustic speaking tubes, and periscopes embedded in the eyes allow visitors to experience the world from the perspective of this standing figure in the desert.The form of ZARVAN draws from Persian carpet motifs and stained glass architectural inspiration within the crown, creating a synthesis of cultural heritage and contemporary geometric expression that embodies the concept of time in physical form. The structure is built with a modular steel skeleton and an off grid solar energy system, allowing it to operate independently in open public space and harsh environmental conditions.ZARVAN is not merely a sculpture; it is a platform for experience.The audience is not only a viewer but an active component of the work’s function. Light shifts in response to human presence, voices travel between strangers, and perspective is transformed. In doing so, ZARVAN activates a moment of pause, connection, and reconsideration of perception in public space, reminding us of time not as measured hours, but as lived experience.Who is ZARVAN?ZARVAN, in ancient Iranian / Persian tradition, is the god of infinite time and space, the embodiment of one of the most fundamental concepts in Iranian mysticism and cosmology. Yet ZARVAN is far more than a mythological figure or simple deity. It represents the primordial and the infinite: Forces that existed before creation, before duality, and before the material world takes form. In this worldview, time is not understood merely as a tool of measurement, but as an originating and foundational condition of existence itself, an invisible horizon within which being becomes possible. Rooted in deeply ancient and pre-Zoroastrian layers of Iranian mysticism and thought, ZARVAN reflects one of the most profound expressions of how Iranian culture has imagined origin, continuity, and the order of the cosmos.Why I Chose ZARVAN?I chose ZARVAN because it represents one of the most profound and lesser-known concepts within my Iranian / Persian heritage: time not as something measured, but as the primordial condition of existence itself. In ancient Iranian cosmology, ZARVAN is associated with boundless time, the unseen continuum that exists before creation, before duality, and before the visible world takes form. That idea deeply resonates with my practice. My work often explores perception, presence, memory, and the invisible systems that shape human experience. Naming this sculpture ZARVAN grounds the project in a cultural and philosophical lineage that is both deeply personal and universally human. It becomes a way to bring an ancient Iranian mysticism and cosmology into contemporary public space, not as a historical reference, but as a living framework through which light, sound, structure, and interaction can express time as something felt, shared, and embodied.Why It Matters?ZARVAN matters because it introduces a rarely represented dimension of Iranian mysticism and culture into the global language of contemporary public art. By translating an ancient cosmology of the infinite into an engineered, interactive sculpture, the work creates a bridge between cultural memory and future facing design. It repositions public sculpture as an embodied experience rather than a static monument, where light, sound, and human presence generate meaning in real time. Socially, it fosters pause, encounter, and collective awareness in shared space. Conceptually, it offers a new framework for how identity, mythology, and technology can coexist in large scale civic art. Designed as a durable modular system, ZARVAN is intended not only for temporary installation, but as a legacy work with long term placement potential in public and cultural environments.Learn more: ZARVAN deck---About Shirzan FoundationShirzan Foundation, is a 501c3 non-profit fiscal partner to this project, allowing anyone to support it with a tax deductible donation. Shirzan charges no partner fees. So, 100% of funds donated will be passed onto the project. Also, Shirzan will match the first $25K in donations to this project. So, the first $25K outside donations, will net the project $50K in funding.Thank you for your generosity!

Shirzan Foundation

Shirzan Foundation

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