Introduction
Welcome to my virtual exhibition! My name is Mehrdad, and I am excited to present to you a collection of projects over the past four years, created in collaboration with fellow artists. As artists, we are inspired by the complexities of daily life and the challenges of living in a postmodern world. Our works reflect this many forces that shape our experiences, from the cultural and political structures that often go unquestioned, to the intersections of different identities and visions that offer a sight of diversity and possibility. Through a multimedia approach, we aim to explore everyday life from new perspectives, highlighting themes such as identity, power and social rhythms, and multimodal perception. Planning my graduation recital during the COVID-19 pandemic was challenging, Apart from the significant losses caused by the pandemic, the disruptions to our daily lives have fundamentally altered our perceptions of the world around us. This shift in perspective is also reflected in the art created over the past three years, including my own work. It also provided an opportunity for me to explore electronic and solo-based music, which led to collaborations with visual artists, and performers. Aside from the pandemic, the last four years have been marked by significant social movements in Iran, my home country. The ongoing "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement has mobilized a nation in crisis, creating a sense of unity and solidarity among the people. These movements have also been marked by violent oppressions that have left a deep impact on us, and led me to explore themes of trauma, resilience, and hope through my works. "Anachronic Wind" and "Toranj" are two AudioVisual collaborations exploring these themes. Through my work, I aim to contribute to a broader conversation about the complexities and contradictions of our world, challenging my audience to engage with the world in a more critical and reflective way. Thank you for visiting, and I hope you enjoy the exhibition! Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or feedback. ​ Mehrdad
"Now look around you at this meadow, this garden, these trees and these houses. They offer themselves to your eyes as in a simultaneity. This simultaneity is mere appearance, surface, a spectacle. Go deeper.
Do not be afraid to disturb this surface. Be like the wind that shakes these trees. Let your gaze be penetrating, let it not limit itself to reflecting and mirroring. Let it transgress its limits a little.
You at once notice that every plant, every tree has its rhythm. And even several rhythms. You will grasp every being, every entity, both living and non-living, ‘symphonically’ or ‘polyrhythmically’.
You will grasp it in its space-time, in its place and its approximate becoming: including houses and buildings, towns and landscapes."
Henri Lefebvre
Projects
During one of our Composition classes, My supervisor, Christos Hatzis, challenged me to write a Marimba piece based on a Scarlatti sonata of my choice, to be performed as part of "The Theodor Milkov – Domenico Scarlatti Project". I didn't hesitate. When I was about to leave the class he told me "You need to be Scarlatti! while being yourself, of course". I took it seriously and tried to be as Scarlatti as possible for the next few days!
Together with my collaborators, through a collection of sound and visuals, we've explored different concepts and stories in daily life in four different projects. The name "Rhythmanalysis" refers to a book authored by French sociologist Henry Lefebvre, which served as a major inspiration for us. The book explores the relationship between rhythm and the social and spatial organization of everyday life. Using a multimedia approach, Rhythmanalysis is trying to explore everyday life from new perspectives and tell stories about the world around us.
Part of my creative output during the pandemic was to make music with found objects. This project showcases my two works using discarded and unwanted objects transformed into sound sources for music-making. The idea is to give voice to objects through technology. In particular, I was inspired by the idea of the birth of musical instruments as a way to sonify objects. In my case, I’m interested in items that previously had a life but later were discarded and rejected. My aim is to provide a new context for these objects, enabling them to interact with each other, be a part of something, tell a story, and sing a song!
With a selection of my recent collaborations with various filmmakers, I am sharing my personal approach to scoring films.
