Nikta Mohammadi: Memory Stone

Nikta Mohammadi is an artist and filmmaker originally from Tehran and now based in West Yorkshire. This is Mohammadi’s first solo exhibition, premiering a new film commissioned by The Lowry.

Memory Stone is a film installation exploring dreams and displacement within the context of the British countryside, accompanied by a visceral soundscape by composer Babak Mirsalari. The work follows a rambler wandering rural Calderdale; a curious otherworldly structure unearths memories that were removed from their consciousness. An ancient dream or a misplaced history, perhaps belonging to their non-existent alien ancestors.

Combining elements of science fiction and Iranian mythology, Mohammadi reflects on her own and other migrants’ psychological and physical relationship with land and place. Rather than presenting the landscape as a passive backdrop for human stories, Mohammadi treats the landscape as a creature with agency, one that’s alive. This film is part of a wider body of work that investigates landscape as a visual language and Mohammadi’s ongoing interest in the ghostly imprints that migrants create on foreign lands. Memory Stone attempts to recreate these memories and histories.

This brand-new work has been commissioned by The Lowry through its Artist Development Programme ‘Developed With The Lowry’ and is also supported by A-N, University of Salford and Arts Council England.

There are two free Farsi speaking guided tours led by Nikta Mohammadi. These will take place at 13:00 on Tuesday 9 April and Saturday 4 May and will approximately be 30 minutes.  Each tour will have a capacity of 20 people. To book these tours click here.