The truth about Tehran, by artist Nazgol Ansarinia | The artist and their city

Summary

The speaker, originally from Tehran, discusses the rapid urban transformation of the city, marked by the loss of open spaces and the demolition of old buildings. They describe their artistic response to this change, creating miniature monuments from murals and buildings to capture the ephemeral nature of the city's landscape. The artist reflects on the impact of this construction on collective and individual memory, expressing a sense of loss and displacement as neighborhoods become unrecognizable.

Takeaways

• 🌳 The speaker grew up in Tehran and has witnessed significant changes in the city's landscape.
• 🎨 Tehran is losing open spaces, and artists are painting gardens and blue skies on existing buildings to create an illusion of openness.
• 🏗 The speaker's art involves turning murals and painted buildings into miniature monuments to capture the ephemeral nature of these images.
• 🏙️ The transformation of two-dimensional murals into three-dimensional monuments merges the actual building with the illusion, reflecting Tehran's current state.
• 🏠 Rapid urban development, including the demolition of houses, is changing Tehran's neighborhoods at a fast pace.
• 🏗️ The demolition is often driven by the desire to build taller structures, which is altering the city's character.
• 🗺️ The speaker feels that the rapid construction is destructive as it erases collective and individual memories associated with the city.
• 🏡 Neighborhoods are changing so quickly that they become unrecognizable, leading to a sense of loss and disconnection from one's surroundings.
• 🏙️ The speaker has observed a total transformation of Tehran over the past 30 years, which has been particularly impactful.

Q & A

Where did the speaker grow up?

The speaker grew up in Tehran.

Why did the speaker move to London and the States?

The speaker moved to London and later to the States to study.

How long did the speaker live abroad before moving back to Tehran?

The speaker was away for about seven years before moving back to Tehran.

What is the speaker's current relationship with Tehran?

The speaker has been living and working in Tehran for about ten years.

What is the significance of the murals and paintings on existing buildings in Tehran?

The murals and paintings on existing buildings in Tehran create an illusion of perspective and openness, projecting a supposedly desired life onto the undesired.

How does the speaker's artwork capture the nature of the murals?

The speaker turns the murals and the buildings they are painted on into miniature monuments, attempting to capture the ephemeral nature of the murals and freeze them as representatives of the era.

What does the speaker's artwork reveal about the current state of Tehran?

The speaker's artwork reveals that Tehran is a city longing for the illusion of its past while restlessly bulldozing over itself to build a fantasy of its future.

What does the speaker focus on in their artwork?

The speaker's artwork focuses on everyday events, experiences, objects, and their relationship to the larger social context.

Why is the rapid construction and demolition in Tehran considered destructive?

The rapid construction and demolition in Tehran is considered destructive because it is taking away collective and individual memories, changing neighborhoods so fast that they become unrecognizable.

How does the speaker feel about the transformation of Tehran over the last 30 years?

The speaker feels strongly about the total transformation of Tehran over the last 30 years, expressing a sense of loss and disconnection due to the rapid changes.

What is the impact of the demolition on the speaker's personal connection to Tehran?

The demolition impacts the speaker's personal connection to Tehran by making the city unrecognizable and causing a feeling of being lost, as the neighborhoods change so fast that they no longer relate to the space.