Naser Houshmand Vaziri
Encyclopedia
Nāser Housh'mand Vaziri (b. 1946, Hamedan, Iran
) is an Iranian sculptor. He is a graduate of the Fine Arts Faculty of University of Tehran
. Although stone
is his favourite material, he works with such other substances as mud
, wood
, sand
, glass
, fibreglass, ceramic
, metal
and cement
. He works both in classical and modern styles of sculpting. He is further a taxidermist. The sculptor and painter
Roksānā Houshmand Vaziri and the physicist
and sculptor Rāmā Houshmand Vaziri are daughters of Nāser Houshmand Vaziri.
Nāser Houshmand Vaziri was born in Hamedan in 1946. At the age of five he moved with his parents to Tehran
. His artistic talent became apparent during his secondary-school years. The sculpture
of a street-sweeper
that he made during this period was received very favourably by his teachers, who kept it on display in his school for some time. In 1966, after graduating from high-school, he enrolled in the Fine Arts Faculty of University of Tehran, where he studied sculpting and from where he graduated in 1971. He considers his mother as the single most important influence on him as well as his artistic life.
After graduating from university, Mr Vaziri began to work in his sculpting studio
on Fātemi Street in Tehran. He continued to work in this location for over thirty years. Around 2005 he closed this studio and moved to Lavāsān
, in the North-East of Tehran, where he works on his life-dream, turning his home and surroundings into a workshop
and an in- and out-door arts museum
. He is further digging a tunnel
into the mountain
, hoping to reach a natural tunnel in the process. In doing so, he is simultaneously turning the dug tunnel into a museum of arts. He intends also to create, amongst other things, the real-size sculptures of all the mythical heroes of Ferdowsi
's Shahnameh
.
Mr Vaziri is the creator of twenty-five of the real-size sculptures that have been installed in the Laundry Museum of Zanjān
and of the thirty sculptures of the Bagh-e Ferdowsi (The Garden of Ferdowsi
) in northern Tehran.
This audio slideshow, as well as this panoramic sequence of images provide a glimpse of the active projects of Mr Vaziri's at the time of writing these lines (i.e. May 2009).
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
) is an Iranian sculptor. He is a graduate of the Fine Arts Faculty of University of Tehran
University of Tehran
The University of Tehran , also known as Tehran University and UT, is Iran's oldest university. Located in Tehran, the university is among the most prestigious in the country, and is consistently selected as the first choice of many applicants in the annual nationwide entrance exam for top Iranian...
. Although stone
Rock (geology)
In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
is his favourite material, he works with such other substances as mud
Mud
Mud is a mixture of water and some combination of soil, silt, and clay. Ancient mud deposits harden over geological time to form sedimentary rock such as shale or mudstone . When geological deposits of mud are formed in estuaries the resultant layers are termed bay muds...
, wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
, sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
, glass
Glass
Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
, fibreglass, ceramic
Ceramic
A ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous...
, metal
Metal
A metal , is an element, compound, or alloy that is a good conductor of both electricity and heat. Metals are usually malleable and shiny, that is they reflect most of incident light...
and cement
Cement
In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed...
. He works both in classical and modern styles of sculpting. He is further a taxidermist. The sculptor and painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
Roksānā Houshmand Vaziri and the physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
and sculptor Rāmā Houshmand Vaziri are daughters of Nāser Houshmand Vaziri.
Nāser Houshmand Vaziri was born in Hamedan in 1946. At the age of five he moved with his parents to Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
. His artistic talent became apparent during his secondary-school years. The sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
of a street-sweeper
Street sweeper
A street sweeper or street cleaner can refer to a person's occupation or a machine that cleans streets, usually in an urban area.-History of street sweeping in the United States:...
that he made during this period was received very favourably by his teachers, who kept it on display in his school for some time. In 1966, after graduating from high-school, he enrolled in the Fine Arts Faculty of University of Tehran, where he studied sculpting and from where he graduated in 1971. He considers his mother as the single most important influence on him as well as his artistic life.
After graduating from university, Mr Vaziri began to work in his sculpting studio
Studio
A studio is an artist's or worker's workroom, or the catchall term for an artist and his or her employees who work within that studio. This can be for the purpose of architecture, painting, pottery , sculpture, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, radio or television...
on Fātemi Street in Tehran. He continued to work in this location for over thirty years. Around 2005 he closed this studio and moved to Lavāsān
Lavasan
Lavasan , also Romanized as Galandowak and Galandūak) is a city in and the capital of Lavasanat District, in Shemiranat County, Tehran Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 15,448, in 4,645 families....
, in the North-East of Tehran, where he works on his life-dream, turning his home and surroundings into a workshop
Workshop
A workshop is a room or building which provides both the area and tools that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods...
and an in- and out-door arts museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
. He is further digging a tunnel
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
into the mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
, hoping to reach a natural tunnel in the process. In doing so, he is simultaneously turning the dug tunnel into a museum of arts. He intends also to create, amongst other things, the real-size sculptures of all the mythical heroes of Ferdowsi
Ferdowsi
Ferdowsi was a highly revered Persian poet. He was the author of the Shahnameh, the national epic of Iran and related societies.The Shahnameh was originally composed by Ferdowsi for the princes of the Samanid dynasty, who were responsible for a revival of Persian cultural traditions after the...
's Shahnameh
Shahnameh
The Shahnameh or Shah-nama is a long epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between c.977 and 1010 AD and is the national epic of Iran and related societies...
.
Mr Vaziri is the creator of twenty-five of the real-size sculptures that have been installed in the Laundry Museum of Zanjān
Zanjan (city)
Zanjan is the capital of Zanjan Province in northwestern Iran. It is an Azeri inhabited city. It lies 298 km north-west of Tehran on the main highway to Tabriz and Turkey and approximately 125 km from the Caspian Sea...
and of the thirty sculptures of the Bagh-e Ferdowsi (The Garden of Ferdowsi
Ferdowsi
Ferdowsi was a highly revered Persian poet. He was the author of the Shahnameh, the national epic of Iran and related societies.The Shahnameh was originally composed by Ferdowsi for the princes of the Samanid dynasty, who were responsible for a revival of Persian cultural traditions after the...
) in northern Tehran.
This audio slideshow, as well as this panoramic sequence of images provide a glimpse of the active projects of Mr Vaziri's at the time of writing these lines (i.e. May 2009).
External links
- Official Website of Nāser Houshmand Vaziri.
- Photographs of Nāser Houshmand Vaziri, by Masoud Soheili, 2004: http://www.masoudsoheili.com/IranArt-Sculptors/NaserHoushmandVaziri.html.
- Some photographs of the Laundary Museum of Zanjān: Main entrance (1), interior (2), interior (3).
- Javād Montazeri, The Sculptor of Lavāsān, in Persian, Jadid Online, 8 May 2009, http://www.jadidonline.com/story/08052009/frnk/naser_hushmand_vaziri.
Audio slideshow: http://www.jadidonline.com/images/stories/flash_multimedia/Naser_hushmand_vaziri_test/vaziri_high.html (5 min 15 sec).