MANNA 2.0

Diaspora Pavilion, Wolverhampton Art Gallery, 2018

Abbas 12 — Installation view of C-type print mounted on aluminium (122 x 183 cm) alongside framed prints of various sizes for Diaspora ~~Pavilion~~, 2018. Credit: International Curators Forum.

Abbas 9 — Installation view of bottles: glass, vinyl-print labels, metal caps (21.5 x 5 cm) and gold-plated samovar for Diaspora ~~Pavilion~~, 2018. Credit: International Curators Forum.

Abbas 4 — Installation view of moving image: single Channel HD video (00:04:37) and sculpture: stone, rice cooker (40 x 40 x 50 cm) for the Diaspora ~~Pavilion~~, 2018. Credit: International Curators Forum.

Abbassss — Installation view, William Morris room for Diaspora ~~Pavilion~~, 2018. Credit: International Curators Forum.

Installation view of live-archive: A4 reproduction of notes from the first British Black Art Movement meeting, Wolverhampton (1983) for Diaspora ~~Pavilion~~, 2018. Credit: International Curators Forum.

Abbasssss 6 — Installation view of vinyl bottle label adhered to an antique handmade frame (28 x 15 cm) for Diaspora ~~Pavilion~~, 2018. Credit: International Curators Forum.

Exhibition copy:

MANNA 2.0: Machine Aided Neural Networking of Affect
Mixed media installation including video, sculpture, photography and found objects
For the Diaspora Pavilion in Venice, Abbas Zahedi produced MANNA: Machine Aided Neural Networking of Affect (2017), a site-specific installation for Palazzo Pisani. This archival work documents the imaginal feedback loops that exist between online algorithms and the artist’s neo-diasporic state of mind. This notion of neo-diaspora refers to Zahedi’s own position as a second generation migrant in a hyper-connected world.
Here in Wolverhampton, Zahedi presents a new video work Me Myself & A I I I (2017) first screened at the Diaspora Pavilion closing programme in Venice in November 2017 and now exhibited for the first time. The video features streams of machine consciousness, trying to influence and decipher Zahedi’s behaviour. This includes an imaginal link between hipsters – the ceremonial drinks makers of the UK – and the historic practices of his maternal family, who were ceremonial drinks makers in Iran. The video is shown alongside other objects from the MANNA Archive, including the sculpture that instigated this body of work. These objects are further reflected in the large-scale print which you can find in the Georgian Gallery on the first floor.
For both the Venice and Wolverhampton exhibitions Zahedi has produced and bottled a saffron-based shandy, with ingredients derived from exploring connections between the MANNA Archive and its site of installation. The drink made for this show is entitled Saffrock Shandy and is available to buy in the gallery café.
Source: https://www.internationalcuratorsforum.org/diaspora-pavilion-venice-to-wolverhampton/

Click below for a virtual tour of this show: