The image’s wide composition frames the two women in the center facing away from each other as a symbolic representation of the lack of direction for the people photographed. Placing them in the center helps the viewer notice the seemingly random directions everyone else is walking in as they scan the rest of the photograph.
Although the photograph is staged, Tabrizian was addressing the very real social issues of exile and alienation through her work. She was studying the relationship between film and photography and thus directed the motions and emotions of each of the individuals pictured. This is further emphasized by the very wide-angle shot of the image which is similar to the wide shot found in movies. The billboard in the background pictures of Iran’s revolutionary leaders – Khomeini and the current Supreme Leader Khamenei which should be interpreted as symbols of order and advancement for the country. However, the chaos and seeming lack of direction all of the people pictured counters that assumption.
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.
Well done, particularly the contrast in the two central figures. The article mentions lack of infrastructure. How does that play out in this image? Be sure to enter your categories.