SASSAN BEHNAM-BAKHTIAR

Surrendering to silence occasionally will bring forth extraordinary feelings, promoting patience and access to the mind. If one can transform the mind to become like still water, others will gather around it to see their own image, and so during that instance live with a clearer and perhaps stronger life. By being in the present while aware and at ease in our quiet hearts, we become a reflecting pool for others. Our presence will transfer itself loud and clear especially if we attune to it. We usually use words to communicate, which is great, however there is another more powerful communication method taking place in deeper awareness.

Using the inarticulate speech of the heart, one can gaze into the eyes of another without fear or desire, without a conglomeration of stories, and sense the essence of existence one carries.

Words are powerful and can often condition perception. There is an awareness that exists beyond words and allows our direct experience to be true and real.

In my experience, silence dissolved barriers between myself and others. Words are used to form bridges of communication, but unfortunately, they often have the opposite effect. I have seen through the years that many people use words in certain ways to fill up the void they feel. They are uncomfortable with silence, so they speak more than necessary while hoping to connect to others but instead fail to create any real communication. As they sense that they are not experiencing that connection they have been looking for, they increase their words, going off into tangents of no relevance whatsoever in the hope that more words will somehow convey their feelings. On the other hand, when two minds are in silence, a fantastic communication ensues.

The works created for Floating on Silence are my representation of the power of silence, alongside with a few surprise pieces such as Floating on Iran and Floating on Freedom.

-Sassan Behnam-Bakhtiar