Ostaad Finastian torching the copper ware
I was at "Behzad House" by 9:00 AM this morning to meet with Ostaad Finastian. This is the house of artist Behzad (deceased) and the Department of Cultural Heritage has turned it into a school for crafts. Ostaad was in the classroom on the third floor last year and I knew better than to stop and ask for him. I just walked by the guard at the door, said "excuse me", and just went upstairs without a second look. Ostaad Finastian was with one female student and one male student. We exchanged greetings and asked after each other's health. Ostaad Finastian is older than he looks and it is easy to expect more of him physically. After a few minutes of talk, he told me that he was going to do a tar demonstration for two of the beginner students in the tar room. This is a room right next to the classroom and there is a big pot on a heater on the floor which boils the tar when turned on. There is also a sink and torch, plus some sawdust for drying the pieces after they have been washed. We moved next door to the tar room.
Tar boiling in the pot
Ostaad Finastian started by turning up the tar pot and turning on the torch. He warned the two students, a male and a female both in their mid twenties, about the hot tar and torch, and then started to show them how to burn the tar off their finished pieces. These pieces were tarred prior to start of work so that they could hold on to the wooden stands. Pieces that were in the shape of a vase rather than a flat dish required tar poured into them so that the hammering would not put dents in them.
Beginner student stirring the boiling tar
Meanwhile, students started coming in and working on their own piece in the classroom. One of the advanced students from last year, a young man in his early thirties, walked into the tar room and we exchanged greetings. He then returned to the classroom and started working on his piece. I saw students ask for his help while Ostaad Finastian was in the tar room demonstrating. Ostaad Finastian warned the students many times of the dangers of the torch and the hot tar which was boiling by now. He showed the students two burnt fingers which he acquired last week as a result of carelessness when handling the tar pit. He started by hammering the thick layer of dried tar at the back of a finished plate. He tried hammering a few times over the pit and when he was not very successful as a result of his age, he called the advanced student who proceeded to crack the tar and drop the pieces into the boiling pot for recycling. The young woman whose plate Ostaad Finastian was using as demonstration stirred the pot a few times.
Two women at work
Ostaad Finastian torched the plate so that the remaining bits of tar would dissolve and burn away. He handed the plate to the young woman and told her to clean it at the sink with water, detergent, and a metal brush. He then showed the male student how to tar his new plate by heating it with a torch and then putting it on the floor. He then told the student to take over as he told him what to do (he had done a demonstration for the student the first time). The student took the plate and Ostaad Finastian told him the steps: "Put it on the floor; pour the hot tar on it; pour more hot tar; pour some cold water on it; step on it with your body weight to flaten the tar section a bit; take a bucket of cold water; put your hands in it; use your hands to fold up the edge of the tarp off the floor and onto the sides of the dish; watch your hands, watch your hands....." At this time, the advanced student who had walked in a few moments ago to ask Ostaad Finastian a question, raised his voice and said: "Watch your hands now! Do a better job of dipping them in the cold water before you work on the tar!"
Pouring the hot tar on the copper plate
Once the male student had completed his tarring, he took it to the classroom and placed it on the table. He returned and completed the cleaning process of his finished piece by washing it and then drying it in the bag of saw dust. The female student took her brand new copper vase, torched it, and poured hot tarp into it. Once the work was done in the tar room, Ostaad Finastian left and the two beginner students cleaned up. I went back to the classroom to find Ostaad Finastian working with the students. It is great to see how the students stop and listen to him when he is helping someone who is sitting near them.
Ostaad Finastian working with students
I walked around, took notes, and spoke to the students, all of whom seemed very comfortable with me (I was expecting this; last year was the same as the Tehran students never shy of the camera). I was given tea, brought a comfortable chair to sit on, and even had the advanced student explain my presence to the other students... Such a great feeling.
Ostaad Finastian helping a student
Students at work
I gave Ostaad Finastian a CD of his photographs from last year. It seemed the one I burnt did not display the images in large format. I also gave him a book on wood carvings on gun barrels. The advanced student liked it very much and would like me to buy him a few books. I'm going back next week to visit during the next class. I need to interview Ostaad Finastian and he has promised me half an hour of his class time.
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