Island House - Mudhif
The Sculptural Immersive Installation
2021
Mudhif is a 5,000-year-old culture that includes the majestic Mudhif houses built by Madan people in the swamps of southern Iraq and Iran. These Mesopotamian Venice houses are characterized by beautifully elaborate floating basket houses made entirely of reeds harvested from the open water. They on the water and slightly curved communal spaces constructed out of reeds and adobe are used as a large ceremonial house as a gathering place for the community.
Many environmental and political events, such as the Iran-Iraq war, drove locals from their homes, forcing them to forsake their traditional way of life in favor of cities and camps in other parts of Iraq or Iranian refugee camps.
The invasive indigenous plants gathered from the Chicago city garden were used to create this multi-dimensional traditional home and integrated by projection mapping and holograms. In the spirit of the Madan community, this project aims to acknowledge and restore the lost garden of Eden and its habitants that has survived thousands of years.
