Laura Friedmann ➰ Fiber Artist

So excited to share a glimpse behind the scenes of “SABZEH” (SPROUTS): IMMERSIVE INSTALLATION opening August 14th at the @auroraculturalcentre This video captures moments from the choreography rehearsals, as well as the fibre art pieces I created for the dancers and their movement. ✨ Our creation will blend original music & dance, visuals, and fibre art. Working alongside other incredible women artists, and guided by @parisasabet as project lead, this will be my biggest fibre art project to date! 🌱 This installation is inspired by Sabzeh, grown in Iran each New Year (Naw-Rúz), where wheat, barley, or lentils sprout together in a symbol of renewal 🌾 We hope to create an experience that reflects the delicate but essential way we are all held together. Each sprout, like each human, emerges fragile and searching. Alone, it may falter. But as they grow and interweave to form a living carpet of support, they are able to grow and thrive–steadied and strengthened. This work, both literally and symbolically, reflects our interconnectedness, where collective growth is essential 🌿. How timely, considering everything happening in the world today…. INSTALLATION DETAILS
🎟️ Opening Night: August 14, 2025
🗓 Exhibit: August 14–October 19, 2025
📍 Aurora Cultural Centre This installation is also rooted in the story Sabzeh by Omid Fallahazad–a tribute to the 10 Baha’i women executed in Shiraz 40 years ago. A powerful reminder that while some lives are tragically cut short, their legacy continues to grow. Like sprouts, we each move and grow in different ways and at different speeds. Yet it is through our collective unity and shared recognition of one another that hope, strength, and lasting change emerge. 🎬 In this video (stay tuned for more posts & artists collaborating with us): 🎼 Project Lead & Sabzeh musical composition: @parisasabet 
🩰 DANCERS:
@kchuk – Choreography
@rakeemhardy 
@frederique_perron 
@katieadamsgossage 
@eilishsc 🎥 Cinematography: @olya.glotka 
🛠️ Installation structure & design: @movementrooms @daaahntz Fibre art: yours truly

📣My latest weaving commission for a 50th Wedding Anniversary ✨ Some very dear friends asked that I create a piece for their parents, not only to honour but also celebrate their 50 years of marriage. Before making the piece I familiarized myself with this special couples’ lifetime journey, important symbology/numerology, their favourite colours, preferred styles, and most importantly, the spiritual qualities and gifts they each bring to their sacred union. I was inspired by a section that appears in a Baha’i Marriage prayer which says “He hath let loose the two seas, that they meet each other: Between them is a barrier which they overpass not." In the piece, the 2 large braids represent husband and wife and the sacred space that is to exist between people, even in the most intimate of unions. These braids are surrounded by the burnt-orange braid, representing how God and the divine is always present, from the beginning of the union and into eternity. Around the braids, in the cream colour are 3 knotted textures, representing the 3 cities this couple has lived in. The white section at the top left represents their unwavering faith, something their children shared with me which characterize them both. It is that constant thread. And right over that white section there are 50 jewels, representing their 50 years together. The curves and organic movement, woven through the very organized and calculated threads are the mixture of both their energies: one as the organic, curving, wandering, ocean-loving, creative soul and the other being the logical, methodical and organized soul. They both compliment each other beautifully this way in the tapestry of their life. The top and bottom are burnt-orange braids represent the 2 generations of children and grandchildren...their legacy. So grateful to my friends for letting me be part of this very special occasion in this way 💖 Special thanks to Michelle from @rovingtextiles for these beautiful materials and helping me piece colours together 🧶🙏🏽 DM out if you’re interested in me crafting a piece for you 🪡 #weaving #handmade #handwoven #fiberart #woven #loom #textileart #fiberartist #commission #weavingcommission

Eek!! Did some of my fiber work just sneak its way into @macleansmag latest “Habitat” article?! #dream 🤭 Last summer, my talented friend Emily from @movementrooms approached me to help her devise a woven rope obstacle course for kids for this incredible space 🪢 She wanted it to be made with natural fibres and a minimalist design that would fit her heightened aesthetic. We worked on a custom Movement Rooms design which her team has started using in different spaces. More on how we came up with this product coming soon! How incredibly exciting for me to see little glimpses of my work, handcrafted with love, being shared this way. ✨The thought of children engaging in play and swinging across the obstacle course brings me so much joy. Thank you Emily, for including me in your work and investing in handmade things in a world where fast machine-made purchases tend to prevail. 🧶

Custom-designed @movementrooms climbing ropes for kids playrooms. I absolutely love making these for Emily’s spaces 🪢 In a digital world, natural fibre invites connection to things that are handmade, tactile, and real. Knowing that kiddos will not only be staying active, but also engaging with what feels natural fills me with joy ✨ #sensoryplayideas #handmade #fibreart #sensoryactivity #tactileplay

SPROUTING GROWTH || In this 6x10 ft woven triptych, which I recently exhibited at the @auroraculturalcentre , a single seed begins to sprout, and alongside other seeds, it grows and unfolds into its full potential. 🌱Each seed draws from the strength and presence of others and expand organically. Their growth is interconnected, ever-evolving, and in constant transformation. Behind them, ethereal shadows hint at the hidden yet ever-present forces that shape and sustain their growth.  🧵Materials: Cotton, recycled sari silk, merino wool, chiffon, jungle yarn, and wooden dowel ✨DM me for custom commissions ✨ #handmade #tapestry #wallhangings #fiberart #exhibition

Visit SABZEH for one last look on October 19! And then join us for a closing panel and Q&A with a few of us who collaborated on the production of Sabzeh, including: Parisa Sabet, Bahia Marks, Rah Eleh, Olya Glotka, and myself. Closing Panel at the @auroraculturalcentre 📅 October 19, 11am–1pm 📍 Homeroom Gallery 2 (Level 1), 50 Victoria Street, Aurora 🆓 RSVP for free – linkinbio @parisasabet @daaahntz @olya.glotka @elehrah @movementrooms

One of the fibre pieces currently at the SABZEH exhibit. I made these for the dancers who are projected onto the fibre installation and was pleasantly surprised when I put them all together! We will have a closing panel thus Sunday, October 19th 11:00am – 1:00pm (50 Victoria Street, Aurora). Visit @auroraculturalcentre or my link in bio to RSVP for free! #fiberart #handmade #textileart #wearableart

SABZEH (SPROUTS) the exhibit, launched a month ago at the @auroraculturalcentre ✨It was such a successful night!! We were so surrounded by so much love and support. So grateful for all the friends, colleagues, family and community members who came, including those who drove hours and even flew long distances to attend! It was an honour to have Mayor Tom Mrakas join us for the opening, and to collaborate with such inspiring women artists for a night filled with creativity, connection, and exchange. The exhibit runs until October 19, so there’s still time!! 🌱

Something I learned in the process of creating pieces for the SABZEH exhibit is that as much as creating is about being inspired and having a vision, it is also messy and stirs up feelings of doubt and fear. To share art and creative vision is to be vulnerable. Voices crept in: Will they like it? Will it be acceptable? What if it’s not good? ✨ It took emotional discipline and surrender to quiet those voices and create from the inner depths of what my heart and soul felt the need to bring forth. With the knowledge that, in this process, I was in the right place, doing the work I am meant to, held by the support and belief of those around me. And so we launched the exhibit and now I understand that this work not only belongs to me. It now belongs to the community and I am so honoured to be able to offer in this way. #creativeprocess #creativity #processart #fiberart_community #handmade #artist

After more than a year of envisioning, creating, and bringing ideas to life, SABZEH (Sprouts), an immersive exhibit created in collaboration with incredible women artists, is finally opening tomorrow, August 14th at 6:30pm at the @auroraculturalcentre ! LINK IN BIO Thank you to all who were part of day 1 of the installation 🛠️🧵It was a BLAST 💥 @parisasabet @movementrooms @daaahntz @olya.glotka @daaahntz @malajplus @biggieschmals @bad.mantha @abdelghafor_isam #fibreart #immersiveart #installation #auroraart #exhibition #handmade

Join us for, “SABZEH” (SPROUTS), an immersive exhibit in collaboration with incredible women artists, opening on August 14 at the @auroraculturalcentre Homeroom Galleries 🌱 What can you expect? An immersive convergence of fibre art, sound, movement, projections, and visuals which invite you into a sensorial meditation on growth, resilience, and connection. EXHIBITION DATES: August 14 – October 19, 2025 Opening Reception 📅 Thursday, August 14 🕡 6:30 – 8:30 pm 📍50 Victoria Street, Aurora | Aurora Cultural Centre Closing Panel 📅 Sunday, October 19, 11 am – 1 pm 🎤 Parisa Sabet, Laura Friedmann, Bahia Marks, Rah Eleh, Olya Glotka

“SABZEH” (SPROUTS) Opening August 14th at the @auroraculturalcentre Homeroom Galleries 🌱 An immersive convergence of sound, movement, fiber arts, and visuals, Sabzeh invites audiences into a sensorial meditation on growth, resilience, and connection. EXHIBITION DETAILS: 🎟️ Opening Night: August 14, 2025 | 6:30–8:30pm 🗓️ Exhibit: August 14–October 19, 2025 📍 Venue: Aurora Cultural Centre 🎙️ Closing Artist Talk: October 19, 11am–1pm (Free) Rooted in Persian cultural traditions, Sabzeh features imagery of growing sprouts, carpets, and tapestries, whose complex patterns reference themes of continuity and collective identity. Inspired by the short story by @omidfallahazad Sabzeh was created by @parisasabet and Laura Friedmann, supported by a multidisciplinary team of contributing artists, designers, choreographers, and technicians. Homeroom Gallery 2 exhibition featuring painting, ceramics, and mixed media works by: @s.r.wood_art @teresadunlopceramics @vickyspaintings and Bahia Marks. PRODUCER/DIRECTOR @parisasabet INSTALLATION ART Fiber Artist: @threadsofmoonlight Consulting Design/Builder: @movementrooms Consulting Intern Architect: @daaahntz Execution: @malajplus STORY Inspired by: @omidfallahazad COMPOSITION & SOUND DESIGN Composer: Parisa Sabet Vocalist: @sandra.sangiao SOUND DESIGN ARTISTS @jwein99 @measure.music @moneomusic Field Recordist: S.D MUSICIANS @behnooshbehnamnia @peterstoll2000 @ayseltz Recording & Atmos Mix Engineer: @jappreet.s Recording Studio: @desertfishstudios INTERACTIVE ELEMENTS Interactive Technologist: @zakriyabh DANCE & CHOREOGRAPHY Choreographer: @kchuk Dancers: @rakeemhardy @frederique_perron @katieadamsgossage @eilishsc Katherine Semchuk VISUAL & MEDIA ART Video Editors: @elehrah @jwein99 Videographers: @olya.glotka Sh.K, Joshua Weinfeld Media Artist: @karlskene Vinyl Image Prints: @mintprintinc Film Studio: @moonlight_rentals Graphic Design: @nabilburias Design Consultant: Petra Fernandez Lighting Consultant: Guy Babineau CAST @afsaramiri NARRATION Yashna Moradi PUBLISHER @naakojaa HOMEROOM GALLERY 2 CURATION @edennaylor Parisa Sabet @ontarioartscouncil