About Zhina
Zhina is designed to honor the women of Iran and the freedom movement they are leading. Zhina (Mahsa) Amini, was a 22-year-old Kurdish woman who was detained and killed by the morality police in Iran last September for improperly wearing her hijab in public. Her death sparked one of the most powerful uprisings in history led by women.
The installation represents the freedom expressed in the hair flowing in the wind that has been a symbol of the movement from the very start. Panels of hanging red fabric covered with paintings, messages, poetry, and content created by a large number of artists from around the world including some from Iran, create passages for the audiences to explore, interact with, or add their own content to.
As the audiences walk through the passages of the installation, they hear immersive sounds from Iran to provoke a deeper emotional connection and tell a more personal story of the movement. At the heart of the installation there will be an intimate space that will be a place to connect, reflect, share, and heal.
Why Zhina
As a group of Iranian burners, we felt the urgent call to bring this conversation to the playa. Not having a voice on the playa about Woman, Life, Freedom was not even an option for us.
We are creating Zhina to raise awareness in the global community and to create a vehicle for our community to express ourselves, to unite, to bring our voices to the desert, and to heal. Above all Zhina is to honor the women and men of Iran in their fight for basic human rights and ultimately to honor anyone that has ever stood up against oppression and injustice.
“If you are interested in collaborating with us on this project please visit the Volunteer and Co-Create page and help us bring Zhina to the desert.”
Burning Man Experience
Burning Man as a global ecosystem of artists, makers, and community organizers provides the opportunity to host the installation. Nearly 80,000 individuals gather annually to build Black Rock City, a participative temporary metropolis in the Nevada desert where people from all over the world gather to celebrate life and freedom guided by values like radical inclusion, gifting and radical self-expression.
Zhina will be the voice of the woman life freedom movement in this known platform. The visitors during the event week will have the opportunity to co-create, and show their support in different ways such as adding messages, drawing, or gifting a flock of their hair.
Burning Man provides a unique opportunity to engage with the audience on an immersive and personal level. It feels very fitting for the woman life freedom movement to have a presence at this world-known event.
The Team
Konoon Studio was formed in the aftermath of the uprising in Iran by a group of Iranian artists looking for ways to contribute and support the movements from across the globe. We collectively feel art has a critical role in not only raising awareness in the global community but also as a healing mechanism for the artists and the audiences. The members bring decades of experience in art, design, architecture, media, and engineering to the studio creating a fertile ground for co-creation.
Donate
This project is not possible without your help. Please donate to any amount you can. Every dollar helps.
Volunteer
If this project speaks to you, if you feel the desire to be part of the team creating Zhina, please check our volunteer page, we can use your help, your passion, your energy.