Iranian Fish swims in Stroud

Having met Ahmad Nadalian yesterday afternoon I could not miss seeing him work before he caught the 11.20 train to London - especially as my car was in for MOT not far away. See my blog yesterday for more info and a link to his amazing website.

Ahmad also had a talk last night at Artspace that was apparently full so that some had to stand.

Ahmad started work this morning at 6am near Capel Mill (opposite Waitrose carpark on the otherside of the by-pass) - by the time I had got there he was finishing up.

The first series of photos here are of the fish he created out of berries from a nearby hedge - it looked stunning in the morning light - see more on his website about why he often uses fishes - as he said to me 'fishes have no borders'.

The berries reminded me of British artist Andy Goldsworthy who also uses nature.

I then have some shots of Ahmad working followed by two shots of his finished feet.

The feet look beautiful after the chippings were washed away - Ahmad says they weather very rapidly and I can imagine that in time many would not notice them. One set of feet face the water while the other a tree.

In my conversations with Ahmad we shared talk about the importance of art and how it can reach out to people in many exciting ways. I shared with him the British Waterway proposals and the varying views of the canal route that may lead to very significant changes at this site. I also talked more about the Ruscombe Brook Action Group (RBAG).

We also talked more about possibly doing something in the future next year around water - more of those potentially very exciting plans in a future blog.

I feel very fortunate to have met Ahmad and seen him at work. It is very special to have this internationally known Iranian artist leave pieces of his work here in Stroud. His 'River Art' is a powerful reminder that we need to look after our waterways - indeed one commentator said that his art might actually save the world. Certainly his pieces are full of environmental optimism - something we need now! He hopes to return so hopefully next time more people will be able to get involved.

In the meantime if you've not yet discovered Ahmads' blog click here.