Golpar is a plant native to the region known as Iran, cherished as a distinctive spice in Persian cuisine. Its name translates literally to “flower-feather,” evoking the delicate, petal-like translucence of its mericarps. In the West, where the plant was first introduced in the 19th century, it is known as Giant Hogweed, meaning “feral pigs’ feed.” This stark linguistic contrast between the plant’s names in different territories reflects a subtle hostility, which became a source of inquiry and the foundation of this work.
The question of how a plant venerated in the artist homeland could become known in the West as a gargantuan, toxic, invasive, and unwanted weed prompted a yearlong interdisciplinary study encompassing journalistic, botanical, archaeological, cultural, and historical perspectives. This in-depth exploration of the various ways a plant acquires meaning within the collective imagination draws vivid parallels to geopolitical discourse and the rhetoric surrounding human migration and imperialism, highlighting how structural racism and xenophobia can manifest in subtle, pervasive forms.
