illumination center, learning labs for youth, new orleans, la

​For the past year and a half, my office has been working on one of the most exciting projects that has hit my drawing board in 20 years. Conceived by the Youth Rescue Initiative, an organization with a five year track record of helping improve lives of at-risk youth in New Orleans, this project, the Illumination Center, will have an immediate and transformative impact on the lives and future of many school-aged children in New Orleans and potentially beyond.

Early on, the YRI observed that literacy amongst at-risk youth is low and in need of improvement. At the same time, they saw the need to bridge the urban “digital divide” that precludes these youth from accessing the Internet as a tool for learning, exploring, and contributing.

Their solution is visionary while being straightforward: create safe zones in every neighboorhood in need and install in them centers where children can access the internet and learn how to navigate and utilize the essential tools for success in the 21st century.

parrish art museum, watermill, ny, includes the RDMU in its Road Show

The Parrish Art Museum of Watermill, NY has asked Maziar Behrooz and three artists to create Art Events for its Road Show series.

Jameson Ellis, Jill Musnicki, Alice Hope and Maziar have chosen various locations on the East End of Long Island (Hamptons) for their projects.

Maziar's work will take place on two separate weekends, with the opening on July 27th in the evening.

One of Maziar Behrooz' minimally retrofitted shipping containers will be used as a platform for three experiences. The first, on July 27th, is a hallucinatory audio/video performance created by Matthew Biederman and projected into the container, the second, on July 28th, is a guided meditation by Kellly Morris, and the last on August 12th is a solo cello performance by Richard Vaulery.

Please email us or look back on our website or Facebook pages for further details. We hope you can come. You might be blown away.

the book on Sayres Hanging Garden is published

photo: maziar behrooz

We just received our first copy of a book of our latest residential project. It includes 150 pages of graphics bound in a hard cover. This book will be available for purchase in a week.

swallow restaurant, montauk

Swallow Restaurant in Montauk, designed with an exceptional team, chef and owners is near completion. Be sure to check back for photos of the finished interior or, better yet, stop by in a few weeks and feast on locally sourced seafood and everything else.