Hamid Rahmanian has dedicated ten years of his creative life to the Iranian classic “Zahhak: The Legend of the Serpent King“. Le Monde says “it has all the ingredients of the blackest eastern tale ― palace intrigues, demons, invaders come from a far country. The illustrations explode into flamboyant three-dimensional constructions. The scenes of King Zahhak possessed by the Evil One, the march on Iran, and the liberation of the Persian throne are simply breathtaking.” Rahmanian has created many “offsprings of my book” (now it is on 6th printing). He has created a shadow play, a pop up book, an immersive audiobook a comic book and a puppet show. Now he is making an animation for the stage performance for the SilkRoad ensemble, YoYo Ma’s band. I spoke with Hamid Rahmanian about the epic and more.
The Freedom Sculpture – In the Heart of Los Angeles, CA
The Freedom Sculpture, is a “Statue of Liberty” for the West Coast — It is an Iranian-American led, widely crowd-supported public monumental gift, inspired by the humanitarian ideals of freedom, respect for cultural diversity and inclusiveness that originated with Cyrus the Great of Persia 2,500 years ago. It is promoted by Farhang Foundation (an organization that promotes awareness of the Persian/Iranian culture) and supported by many Iranians around the world. It’s location is near the intersection of Santa Monica Blvd and Century Park East – which is the gateway to Beverly Hills.
The official unveiling was celebrated, citywide, on July 4th, 2017, and will stand forever in the heart of Los Angeles, as a reminder of the universally shared values that truly make America great. 75,000 guests witnessed this grand event.
Have you seen it yet?