Echoes of Becoming

Echoes of Becoming is a creative research project that examines the evolving nature of identity through the research-creation methodology. It draws on my personal experience of moving from Iran to Canada, narrating the process of undergoing an identity crisis and gradually healing through accepting my internal and external changes. This research engages with the transformations that happen within one’s sense of self over time. In this context, I explore the experience of self-change within the idea of becoming, viewing life as an ongoing cycle of transformation and understanding identity as a significant part of this continuous process. Throughout this research, I examine various aspects that contribute to the formation of identity and influence its evolution. I focus on the impact of places as our living environments, and the relationships with those around us, as central elements through which we understand and define ourselves. Additionally, I trace subtle and gradual shifts over time, paying attention to how daily repetitions reflect and shape our changing selves. The main body of this research is a sculptural artwork consisting of eighty ceramic rabbit figures painted with sunflower shadows. These elements refer to the two places I have lived in recent years and highlight the shifts in my identity, my relationships to places, and my connections with others. The repetition of both the rabbit forms and the sunflower paintings also suggests the unnoticed changes that occur within everyday repetition. Echoes of Becoming fosters a deeper understanding of our lived experiences and celebrates the joy of who we have become.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Art

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Graduate Studies

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Mehr, Tooba Golshani

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Eiserman, Jennifer

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Leblanc, Jene René
• Jaques Gadbois, Denis

• Becoming
• Self-identity
• Place-identity
• Repetition
• Sculpture
• Painting

Statement dc:rights

• University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.

Language dc:language.iso

en

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/50351

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ucalgary.scholaris.ca:1880/122758