Composition underscores content in Mitra Tabrizian’s photo as it is a wide angle shot that surveys the Iranian landscape and people scattered across the scene. Her image is described as “a metaphorical study of isolation, displacement, and social upheaval.” Tabrizian is supposedly influenced by Iranian cinema and I find it very obvious here as the shot looks almost like a still from a movie. The article by LACMA provided the context that the image was taken in a new residential area in Tehran where there is “society without a functioning infrastructure.” I find the image almost unbelievable, where all the people are beautifully spaced out all doing their own thing, so I do question the authenticity of the scene she found or possibly created. The article informs me that the billboard looming in the background is an “iconic image of Iran’s revolutionary leaders – Khomeini and the current Supreme Leader Khamenei” which is supposed to allude to the order they attempt to have over their citizens. However, the randomness of the scattered people show irony in its shadow. In terms of the image’s composition, I enjoy the balance the photo has with the buildings and billboard on the left and the car and greenery on right. Additionally, the group of women dressed in black all on the left side of the image are all together with more untraditional clothing scattered on the right. I think the wide lens and randomness scattered across the scene is what makes this image so strong.
Tabrizian, Mitra. “Tehran 2006.” New Acquisition: Mitra Tabrizian, Tehran 2006, Unframed, New York, 2 May 2014, unframed.lacma.org/2014/05/02/new-acquisition-mitra-tabrizian-tehran-2006.
Good selection of quotes to support your statements, and I agree that it looks cinematic. Good observations on balance left and right and on placement of figures.