Rutgers professor Ali Motamedi shows how art and technology can help people better understand and empathize with the immigrant experience
Immigrants face a particularly stressful set of challenges while adapting to their new homeland - and often foremost among these are language and communication barriers.
Through his work as an author, educator and interdisciplinary artist at the intersections of visual culture, language and digital communication, Rutgers instructor Ali Motamedi explores what these forms of language mean in today's society and in our personal lives.
"The impact I aim for is a deeper public understanding of how communication is rooted in belonging and memory, not just words," said Motamedi, an assistant professor of library and information science with the Rutgers School of Communication and Information. "My own migration experience sharpened my awareness of language and voice - what disappears and what new forms emerge in between."
Holding a doctoral degree in civil engineering (in quantitative risk management) and a master of fine arts degree, Motamedi merges technical and artistic methodologies to explore communication across borders.
His most recent works include two forthcoming books: We've Arrived Home (in Farsi) (2026), which explores themes of immigration and belonging, and Farsi Flows (2027), a bilingual experimental project that blends visual and textual expression.
Motamedi has been invited to deliver several talks about his work during 2025 and 2024, including: "Language, Displacement and Creative Practice" at the Asia Contemporary Art Forum Talking Peers at Arts for Afghanistan in April 2025; "Writing, Immigration and Identity" at arts organization City Lore in New York in November 2024; and "The Intersections of Immigration, Art and Technology" at the Northeastern University Boston Literary Club in June 2024.
Motamedi explains why 2025 is a particularly important time to develop and expand new ways to overcome communication barriers.
How do you describe your work and its impact on increasing the public's understanding of communication and immigration?
My work grows out of the Farsi language and Persian culture and extends into visual art, writing and education. I create forms - books, installations and classrooms - that invite reflection on migration, displacement and cultural in-betweens.
How can art and technology help people communicate when language fails?
Art creates its own vocabulary - through images, gestures, and forms - that can carry meaning when spoken language cannot. Technology extends these vocabularies, allowing them to cross borders, reach new audiences and be preserved across generations. For immigrants and multilingual communities, this opens pathways of dignity, connection and visibility.
Through your writing, installations and teaching, do you explore current immigration and identity issues in America?
Yes, I believe my work does engage with these issues. For me, art has always been a way to open space for reflection and connection, whether through writing, installations or teaching. Immigration and identity are not only part of today's political climate but have always shaped our societies. Art cannot solve these challenges outright, but it can shift perspectives, create empathy and give voice to experiences that are often overlooked.
Why are these insights important in 2025?
At a time of intense migration, global polarization and technological change, communication across cultural lines is more urgent than ever. These works remind us that cultural roots - like Farsi and Persian traditions - can offer resilience while opening space for dialogue with other worlds. They argue for empathy and creativity as tools of communication where politics often fail.
Tell us about your forthcoming books We've Arrived Home and Farsi Flows.
We've Arrived Home is a collection of Farsi essays on immigrant life and the search for home. It gives voice to the complexities of being between cultures. Farsi Flows is one of the first experimental works of its kind, connecting two separate worlds - East and West - through a bilingual exploration of writing. It blends legible and asemic forms of Farsi to show how language itself can become a bridge. Both projects highlight how communication carries memory and how immigrant stories can reshape collective understanding.
What classes are you teaching this semester?
I am teaching several sections of information visualization. The course combines critical design, technology and storytelling with data, helping students see information as both a cultural and technical practice.
How do you hope to have the greatest impact on your students?
By showing them that data, stories and culture are inseparable, and by encouraging them to approach technical work with creativity, inclusivity and cultural awareness. I hope they leave with the ability to shape their own narratives while listening more deeply to others.
How has your work evolved over time?
I began with photography and personal essays, working through themes of displacement and belonging. Over time, I've expanded into participatory and cross-disciplinary projects that invite collective voices, while always rooted in the spirit of Farsi and Persian culture.
