The Wishes Tree

Abstract

In the Fall of 2016, Bazmandegan participated in an event celebrating Community Day, the 75th anniversary of the Museum of Contemporary Art in La Jolla. The theme of the show revolved around artistic workshops that engaged the general public in social issues. One particular exhibition that was on display at the museum, Berkeley Protest Posters, was a collection of posters made by UC Berkeley students during the 70’s that called for an end to the Vietnam War. Bazmandegan was struck by the intensity of the involvement of students in the past and how they used widely accessible art materials to stage their protest This show inspired Bazmandegan to engage the public in a peaceful protest and encourage them to respond to the idea of protest differently. He drew inspiration from his past installation, The Wishes Tree, to ful ll this new idea of protest. For his art project, protesting was as simple as making a wish to work towards for the future. This gesture was meant to empower people about their own ability to stage a protest to make a meaningful change in their own lives or in society. In a workshop called Protest Wishes, held during Community Day, Bazmandegan asked people of all ages to write down their wishes onto pieces of ribbon, which he collected.