The Birds Meet the Simorgh
The following picture is a representation of the thirty birds who have completed the inner journey of reaching the Simorgh. There is a gathering of thirty birds at the bottom of the photograph, carefully observing a reflection of themselves above. The reflection is within the shining sun, representative of the Simorgh who reigns. The sunlight behind is a real photograph of the Sun taken at Cape Canaveral, FL, and the birds were drawn through an app called SketchBook. Behind the birds flying in the light of the sun sits a faint outline of the Simorgh, however it is not the prominent feature of the photograph, being representative of the fact that the birds and the Simorgh are now one. Also noteable is the importance of the light. Often, in Islamic movies or depictions of the religious history, both Allah (SWT) and even the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) are depicted as light sources, as they are forbidden to be depicted in any other visual way according to the Quran and a number of Hadiths (supplemental teachings). Incorporating our own light source in place of an actual visual representation of the Simorgh is our nod to the religion that inspired this work.
Background music: Original composition for Santur, with Tar accompaniment downloaded from freesound.org
by Danial Shariat