Chai and Nabat

Video, 2023

This film takes place over a dinner table, with Persian food and new friends chatting. It explores care and gratefulness in personal interactions, as new friends begin to know eachother more deeply and support one another through uncertainty.

With its cozy setting and hand shots, the carelessness of the filming is followed by the openness of the dinner table, as the food is finished, the movie is continued with Tea and a guided session of Tea reading *( Magic Reading ).  Throughout the mundane ritual of drinking tea, we watch as they get ready to slowly open up, guiding the dinner table conversation into something deeper as they begin sharing their struggles and more intimate aspects of their lives and tending to eachother’s realities.





Chai and Nabat have a cozy element, shot by hand and carelessly, as all the care went into the company of each other and facilitated a space of openness through this Magical ritual. As the Candle burned, and the night grew darker, our conversations became deeper. As we opened up about our struggles and lives, we began to tend to each other's realities, getting in touch through the delicate placements of the Tea leaves in the cup.
This Project marked the beginning of my journey of Magic Reading, to look at the video of that dinner table, in my small student housing, I am filled with fondness and gratefulness, to have learned so much, from the guide of Magic, from my friends and humans around me.


   
From the Video Chai and Nabat, 2023