A Friendship Gone Sour
This project visualizes the deterioration of the once-balanced friendship between humans and nature. It explores how both sides have changed, what they have lost, and the consequences of this broken connection. Just like in any failed friendship, there are things we mourn—but also elements we have absorbed from one another. One of the most evident losses for nature is water, as it continues to disappear day by day.
To represent this, I created a floor made from clothes and plaster, mimicking the dry, cracked texture of an arid landscape. The plaster’s slow drying process symbolizes the gradual breakdown of relationships—just as a friendship doesn’t dissolve overnight, neither does the dryness that humans have imposed on nature. The cracks that form in the plaster represent the suffering both humans and nature have caused one another over time.
In addition, I used fabric pieces hanging from the ceiling, infused with a scent to further enhance the sensory experience. This adds another layer of immersion, representing the sourness and loss in the air, further emphasizing the emotional weight of the piece.
However, due to the high humidity in the Netherlands, the plaster took longer to dry than expected and did not create the cracking sounds I originally envisioned. To resolve this, I incorporated a speaker to amplify the sound of cracking, making the rupture more palpable.
This project invites the audience to walk through the space, experiencing the dryness beneath their feet, the scent in the air, and the sense of loss. It’s an interactive experience that allows viewers to confront the consequences of a friendship gone sour.
-Nazanin Ghalandari