Lili Yas Tayefi is an Iranian-born, Canadian architect, designer, and multimedia artist using new media in contrast and complementary to painting, film photography, and traditionally worked ceramics. She received her Bachelor’s in Fine Arts, Visual Studies at the University of Calgary in 2014 before pursuing her Master’s in Advanced Architecture from the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia in Barcelona in 2016. Her thesis focused on the robotic additive manufacturing of accessible, organic building materials such as adobe.

After many years of living abroad, Tayefi has recently moved back to Calgary to be with family and pursue an independent practice in the familiarity of her community. Her recent work includes the design of biodegradable plastics using food waste and found objects in nature such as fossils, and flower petals embroidered onto canvas. She’s also created a digital mural for #OURPARK2020.

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In your opinion, how can public art uplift communities?

Art is something that helps us all get through these times, artists coming forward to share some cheer is a kind reminder that we are all currently experiencing the same issues, and this brings a sense of togetherness. While everything seems new and unfamiliar in our current climate, it is important to zoom out and understand that there is a silver lining in the sharing of this experience.

What attracted you to this project and how did you develop the initial concept for your piece?

Considering the topic of spreading joy, what came to mind was to build a collage of all my favorite parts of Calgary: riding my bike along the river path, staying home, spending time with loved ones, enjoying the privilege of baking sourdough — which I think many people can relate to! It is a piece reflective of our current sense of time — that we entered quarantine in Calgary's winter, and we will come out with Spring; that the days are longer, sunnier, and a testament to witnessing the river thaw, the grass turn green, and the flowers bloom.

WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO THINK OR FEEL WHEN THEY SEE YOUR MURAL?

I hope that it spreads a little bit of cheer because it is relatable to Calgary. I hope that the colors of spring bring joy, that the symbols that bring our community together are relatable, and that regardless of our current individual struggles, we can appreciate that we were in this as a global community, if for nothing more than to give the animals a little break!

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To add one more sense to it, what music would you pick to accompany your artwork?

For the Digital Mural piece, in particular, something that celebrates daily life by choice of perspective. Definitely the song La Vida es un Carnival, by Celia Cruz.

Has COVID-19 impacted your artistic practice and or current worldview?

Ever since the lockdown, I have found grace in the time I am granted to be home with my loved ones and with my own mind. Though the uncertainty of this time is unnerving, I am grateful to slow down and make observations I never found patience for prior. It has been a great time to move inward for me and reflect on what I'd like to spend my time working on. I have found a new sense of quietness and grounding in my creative practice, and have realized how seldom I gifted myself this silence before. How this has impacted my practice is that as soon as my mind became free of its usual business, the creative energy just began to flow, and I have never felt this much consistent inspiration from the simplest daily things.

For you, what is the hardest or most challenging part of creating new work?

From my architectural training, I’ve learned that the more restrictions there are, the easier it becomes to problem solve or create. An intimidating part of creating new work for me often includes staring at a blank canvas and not knowing where to begin, thus I appreciate having a vision, a plan, or when a call for a piece is simple yet specific with its intention.

In all forms of art, inspiration is crucial. What inspires you and how does that end up in your art?

I am very inspired by people. I love painting portraits, the complex emotions that different faces behold. This is inevitably portrayed in my works as another layer of my own interpretation of what I felt from their emotions. Another strong inspiration for me is nature, and our inevitable connection to the earth, as we are all made of the same substance.

How are you staying creative and inspired during COVID-19?

I go on daily walks with my dog, rain or shine, along the Bow River. These walks have become something to look forward to, and the place where I clear my head. I have been collecting branches, stones, and pine cones, bits of nature that stand out and creating works from them, through embroidery, in combination with painting, the process itself has become incredibly calming. I allow myself the space to create one simple piece of work per day. This meditative process has been a gateway to a flow of untapped inspiration. An inspiration, that I used to view as a fleeting emotion has become a way of being.

Last question, if time and funding wasn't a concern, what dream project would you like to pursue?

If funding wasn't a concern, I would look into housing those who are in need of homes. Not as an art project, but as a way to look for a creative solution to a massive housing epidemic that exists in our world. I would work to provide robotics that can 3D print communities, from sustainable, local materials to house the many who currently live with inadequate, or lack of, shelter. In recognition of my privilege that is formal training in a field heavily focused on creative problem solving, I would like to connect the work I did during my master's program to real-world issues.