Tehran (2020)

A sculptural city portrait

In January of 2020 I decided to go to Tehran. I literally didn’t know anything about it. I’m still figuring out what mysterious force attracted me to Iran. International politics were pretty messy and the people I love where pressuring me to stay in Belgium. Can’t you understand? My friends care. They where afraid that it wasn’t a return trip.

I have to admit, my gut-feeling is mostly wrong and a bad compass to me. However, going to Tehran in this troublesome period was one of the best decisions I took.

My work is driven by Futurism and inspired by technological progress. And there I where, in Tehran, the capital of a country with a completely different mindset compared to what I’m used to. Its ubiquitous 2500 years of history was quite the contrast for me as a Futurist and forced me to shift my mind. I had to get invested in the culture and it’s people that were caring for me.

So I took up literature and dove in the full history of Iran. For the first time in my life I had tot take a low-profile approach and become the observer. Tehran forced me into humility.

I lived and worked in a small workman’s house in a lower-class district. (The neighbourhood of Sepah Square). And was guided by Mahmoud Maktabi from RAH. He suggested me to work with the house we where living in. A great idea is a great idea and you have to use it. But sometimes you need a gentle push. :)

And so I went rooting through the leftovers and discarded materials from our house and the streets. Our rooftop was my workplace. I went daily through the city, visited Bazaar Ché’s and made audio recordings of the ongoing rumble of Tehrani city life.

Our house became the canvas. And it’s niches, sink, door holes, staircase and small cupboard on the wall carried the works. When you walked through the staircase you experienced a subtle environment of sculptural buildings resonating sound and light. This was a night-time presentation. Lighting and speakers where embedded in the artworks. The sculptures were the light-sources and they played a soundscape crafted with: the singing of the muezzin, the soft hiss of the gas-flow, the barking of the iron-buyers, the ever-ongoing buzz of the cars and motorcycles,…

Looking back, I’m very grateful: The Tehran project forced me to rethink my practice while offering something meaningful to it’s people: an outsider’s experience of the city.