Multicultural monument

July 4, 2017 was not only American Independence Day but also marked the unveiling of the Freedom Sculpture in Los Angeles, California. An estimated crowd of 75,000 had gathered on Santa Monica Boulevard at the busy intersection of Century Park East at the gateway to Beverly Hills, to witness the inaugural function organized by the Farhang Foundation and the Iranian-American community to gratefully recognize and celebrate America’s diversity through this Sculpture, as conveyed on the website freedomsculpture.org.
Inspired by the Cyrus Cylinder of 539 BCE that is regarded as the first proclamation of human rights, the Freedom Sculpture embodies the ideals of individual freedom, respect for other religions and multicultural inclusiveness, state the organizers. Suspended on two rings, the scintillating Sculpture weighing 9,253 kg is 20 ft in length, 15 ft in height and nine ft in diameter. The original baked clay Cylinder that is shaped like a rugby ball admeasures 8.6 inches in length and 3.9 inches in diameter at the center.

For the congregation, their first viewing of the Sculpture was against the illumination of fireworks that lit the sky. It is composed of two concentric high polish, stainless steel cylinders. "The two rings are linked internally to form a strong and robust structure. The ring shapes are not solid, but appear to be moving lines of a script… The symbolic mathematical script uses prime numbers (numerals that cannot be divided by any number barring one and the number itself), generally associated with mysticism, for they occur at random intervals with surprising regularity,” it is explained on the Freedom Sculpture website. At night, the Sculpture is illuminated with LED lights which make it glow from within; during daytime, it reflects the sun’s rays.
As designed by artist, architect and engineer Cecil Balmond, the Sculpture, when viewed by individuals and vehicles in motion, is meant to give an illusion of movement as a reminder of the "universal message of the Cyrus Cylinder traveling through time and space.” Expounding on his acclaimed artwork, Balmond mentioned in an email to Parsiana, "Transmuting a piece of art into an abstract of the will of a great Persian leader was a new and refreshing experience for me... The message of Cyrus is a great humanistic one of freedoms and equalities and needed now more than ever not just in the States but in the world... I saw the message of Cyrus traveling down the centuries to land in Los Angeles amongst the most cosmopolitan section of people. To underline that metaphor of a message moving through time I designed an artwork with a ‘script’ that was made of an open ended serial pattern; never closing, just moving. The script is designed to form two horizontal cylinders — one within the other. The outer one, silver, to showcase the precious message within, on the inner form which is golden... Working on the Freedom Sculpture was a project well beyond the normal concerns of a public art project for me.”
Music by popular Iranian artistes Ebi and Arash created a festive fervor among the throngs at the unveiling.
Along with Homi Gandhi, president of the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America (FEZANA), Tehmi Damania, president of the Zoroastrian Association of California (ZAC) and Ervad Zarrir Bhandara were representatives of the California Zoroastrian Center (CZC), noted a brief report by Rusi Sorabji who also took the trouble to send us scores of visuals. "A large contingent of Zoroastrians were delighted to witness the unveiling… Three of FEZANA’s 26 member associations (ZAC, CZC and Traditional Mazdayasni Zoroastrian Anjuman) are located in southern California,” mentioned Gandhi.
"As soon as I heard about the idea of the Freedom Sculpture from the Farhang Foundation I felt that it was something I would like to be involved in,” Damania shared her thoughts with Parsiana. "I bought into the idea because of the cultural background and because it was the Cyrus Cylinder. The fact that it was a crowd funding project which had so much support was amazing. I went online and contributed to the idea myself and then spoke to the ZAC committee and we decided to support it. The overwhelming crowd present that day was predominantly Iranian (Persian as they prefer to be called) and I soon realized that there were political implications too. I was pleased to see a number of Jewish supporters who were there because of what Cyrus the Great had done for their community. The speeches were decidedly messages created from the uncertainty of what the future held for the vast number of Persians present. The governor and the mayor were unable to attend but sent their messages via video. That was another indication of the political implications. I am happy that the city of Los Angeles has allowed the structure to be installed and hope someday in the future it really does stand for freedom as the Statue of Liberty does on the east coast,” added Damania.
Expressing pride and joy at the unveiling was the governor of California Jerry Brown who noted in his message, "The Freedom Sculpture is the ideal monument to represent what California embodies, a state which actively embraces and values diversity.” To mayor of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti, "The Freedom Sculpture is a testament to the values we hold dear and we are honored to receive it.” Equally effusive was the speaker of the assembly Anthony Rendon who declared, "I’m proud to have the Freedom Sculpture placed here in Los Angeles, and I sincerely thank the Iranian-American community for leading the diverse group of supporters who have come together to make this monument a reality.”
The Sculpture is the initiative of the Farhang Foundation, a non-religious, non-political and not-for-profit organization established in 2008 in Los Angeles to celebrate and promote Iranian art and culture for the benefit of the community at large, as notes its website. After their design competition which drew nearly 300 entries, it took four years "to commission, secure city authorization and raise enough money to build and install the Freedom Sculpture,” as per the details on the timeline.
Having garnered financial support from 1,157,499 donors and supporters from over 50 countries, the Freedom Sculpture "has already broken records as the most widely crowd-supported monumental gift in US history,” according to the website. As against their goal of $ 3,500,000 (around Rs 22.4 crores), they have raised 77.7% of the amount or $ 2,774,516 (Rs 18 crores) and have kept their campaign open until October 31, 2017 inviting the public "to add your name or the name of your loved ones to this Freedom Sculpture’s permanent legacy.” Whilst a donation of $ 25 (Rs 1,602) would assure a name on the Donors Wall, progressively higher gift amounts would additionally ensure a signed commemorative photo and actual metal from the Sculpture with premier listing in a signed Freedom Sculpture book. If the donation exceeds $ 100,000 (Rs 64 lakhs), a limited edition museum quality replica of the Freedom Sculpture and donor appreciation at the Farhang Gala is promised along with other recognition.