An anonymous art project for the things we carry in silence.
Are there parts of you - your thoughts, feelings, dreams - that you had to sweep under the rug?
Leave your unspoken truths here, where private burdens are woven into a collective work of art.
This is a safe space for authentic sharing - a place to set the weight of a secret down. No name or personal detail is required, keeping your submissions anonymous and your story untraceable. Feel free to read about this project and how we keep secrets safe before you write the truth you've had to keep in the shadows.
Lifting the Corner...
This project began with a realization of how much of my own life was hidden in the shadows. Growing up in Iran, "sweeping things under the rug" was more than a habit; it was a survival mechanism. So much of our personal truths, desires, and identities had to be silenced to navigate a complex world safely.
As I grew older, I realized that the things I swept under the rug were creating walls - distancing me from others and from my true self. I began practicing vulnerability in small, safe ways. Writing down my secrets brought lightness, and weaving them into art transformed burdens into beauty. In 2019, I released a physical rug of my secrets to the fire at Burning Man’s Temple. In my recent work, Persian rug fragments conceal my secrets, though bits and pieces are peeking out - ready to take flight.
While my past work was deeply personal, the recent and ongoing struggles in Iran became a powerful catalyst for opening this project. Recognizing how many of us have been forced to bury integral parts of our identity under the rug, I am inviting my Iranian and non-Iranian friends into this ritual of recognition and release.
Swept Under the Rug is a collective art project, where we can weave together a tapestry of our veiled stories.
Weaving a Collective Tapestry...
Set a weight down...
Swept Under the Rug is an invitation to offload the weight of cultural pressures, private secrets, and the unspoken truths we were conditioned to hide - to conform, to be accepted, or simply to survive. We often carry these burdens in the shadows, thinking they are ours alone. My hope is that sharing here makes you feel a little lighter, and the growing pile of truths under this virtual rug helps us see that we were never alone in this practice.
Step into the light...
Realizing this as part of our shared human experience, I hope we find the courage to step into the light together. This is why turning this personal practice into a collective art project feels important and timely. I am exploring ways to transform these anonymous submissions into physical and digital installations that showcase the complexity of what we carry in our silence.
In the first phase of this journey, I am creating a large-scale mural in Mexico City, where anonymous submissions will be hand-written onto the wall. A large rug will be painted over them, with only fragments of our truth peeking out to hint at the secrets piled beneath.
The artist in me seeks to uncover the beauty hidden within our collective shadows. In my professional life (as a UX researcher), my work has always been about finding patterns in human needs and translating them into insights. In this project, I am looking for the patterns of our hearts, creating a story about what binds us together. As this living tapestry evolves, I will explore new formats - such as interactive light projections, immersive soundscapes, or virtual galleries - to give life to our collective voice.
... for Radical Honesty
This project welcomes openness, vulnerability, and collective sharing in a safe and private space.
Your name, email, and personal details are not needed here. You can write from the heart - without labels or identifiers.
If details like your age, gender or the culture that shaped you help paint the picture of why your truth was hidden, feel free to include them while keeping your submissions anonymous.
I handle your contributions with care. Whether they end up beneath a painted rug or included in a digital installation, I only select completely anonymous stories. Please refrain from sharing personally identifiable information in your submissions so they can be included in the art project. My goal is for our secrets to speak to our shared humanity rather than trace back to any individual, ensuring this sanctuary remains a space for collective healing, not undesired exposure.
Add another thread...
If someone shared this project with you, I hope you already feel this : we are all in this together.
Please feel free to share this invitation with someone you care about, who might want to add their own thread to our collective tapestry.