(water splashing)
- One of the main reasons
that attracts people to Hormuz Island is the colorful soil.
(birds chirping)
From one spot to the next is a
completely different landscape.
There are actually 72 different colors soil on the island.
Mostly towards warm colors.
That's what really attracts a lot of the artists here.
People who do artwork or handicrafts here on the island
mostly get inspirations from the nature
and their surroundings.
Everything inspires the local artists to make work.
Also, a lot of them use the colored soil
which they can use as ink or paint in their work.
(singing in foreign language)
The last few years, I would say the last five years,
there has been a peak in artists.
And it has helped the island prosper.
The more artists that we get here, the better it is.
There is a local theater group,
there are some photographers, there are painters.
Also they end up working with the schoolchildren
and it would inspire another generation of young artists.
The majority of the inspiration comes from the nature
and the people of Hormuz,
the way they interact with each other,
the way they dress, the colors of Hormuz,
and also all the traditional festivals that they have
like Zār, sitting in the sea front and getting ideas
then going back home and putting it on paper.
They use the nature around them to inspire them.
It's basically beautify some of the blank walls.
To decorate some of the houses,
they do mostly paintings and 3D paintings
of the nature around them or the landscape.
And we have seen a number of small murals
that are being done throughout the island.
And that actually helps in beautifying the island
compared to just looking at a blank wall.
(bike engine roaring)
There could never be a saturation of artists.
It's a question of like,
are they contributing anything to the life of Hormuz?
And are they preserving that way of life?
So yes, there is a need for guidance,
and to continue their tradition of making art
that their parents or their grandparents were making.
(bike engine roaring)
The mine for the red soil was stopped
about three years ago.
There has been talks to open the mine again,
if the locals could benefit from it.
Having said that, there is a mixed emotion
as far as if it's a good idea to open the mine
or leave it as is.
Because the local population
is so poor financially and economically.
Some of them are anxious about opening the mine
because it would bring some extra money to them
and some are saying that in long term,
it would be a disadvantage to the locals
if the landscape is ruined.
(announcement in foreign language)
Well, we can only be optimistic
about the future of the island.
The beauty of Hormuz is its nature.
And that is its biggest asset, and its biggest wealth.
There's something that this island offers
that I could not find in any of the cities
that I have lived in in Iran.
And it's a very simple thing in life that everybody needs.
And that's peace.
And it's an excellent place to go and sit and meditate
and get rid of all the negative energy
that builds up inside you as, we all have as human beings,
and having a clear mind and being relaxed,
helps you throughout the day to continue to be creative,
and going through life is much sweeter this way.
(water roaring)