Gazelle Dasti

Gazelle Dasti is a Persian and Turkish artist, engineer, and public installation technologist based in Reno, Nevada. Her work combines structure, light, sound, and cultural narrative to create large scale interactive public sculptures that invite participation, connection, and shared experience.  More information can be found at: www.gazelledasti.com

ZARVAN is a 23 foot interactive sculpture at urban scale that combines art, engineering, and human experience within a single structure. The work is designed as a living system: its illuminated crown responds to human presence and crowd density, its ears enable direct communication between individuals through acoustic speaking tubes, and periscopes embedded in the eyes allow visitors to experience the world from the perspective of this standing figure in the desert.

The form of ZARVAN draws from Persian carpet motifs and stained glass architectural inspiration within the crown, creating a synthesis of cultural heritage and contemporary geometric expression that embodies the concept of time in physical form. The structure is built with a modular steel skeleton and an off grid solar energy system, allowing it to operate independently in open public space and harsh environmental conditions.

ZARVAN is not merely a sculpture; it is a platform for experience.