Morehshin Allahyari - Over there is over here
5:43, 2010, AnimationThrough a self-reflexive narrator, Over There Is Over Here alternates between the literary definition of a third person narrator to my actual, physical “third person” role outside Iran as narrator of the story. The narrator explores my relationship with imprisoned friends and classmates. In this relationship, I am the outsider who will always fail to understand the reality of a prisoner’s life. The more I live outside Iran, the more I will forget details of the “reality” of life inside Iran. For these reasons, the animation is a deliberate mix of real and unreal, fake and genuine.
DirectorMorehshin AllahyariWriterMorehshin AllahyariCrewSound Design by David Fodel
CountryUSASubtitlesEnglishEdition2011 Screenings2011-2012 The Taubman Museum of art, Juried, Roanoke, Virginia (December 2, 2011 to February 26, 2012).
2011- Thomas Erben gallery, invitational, NYC, NY (Dec 13th-17th)
2011- 24th Annual Dallas VideoFest, invitational, Angelika Film Center, Dallas, TX.
2011- Sun Flower Art Center, CologneoFF 2011, Beirut, Lebanon.
2011- Busan International Film Festival, invitational, Busan, South Korea.
2011 - FROZEN FILM FEST: Best Animated Shorts 2011, Roxie Theater, San Francisco, CA.
2011-Unlike Gallery, Juried Show, Berlin, Germany.
2011-Currents 2011, El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
2011-Athens International Film and Video Festival, Athens, Ohio.
2011-Arad art museum, Cologne Off 2011, Romania.
2011-The 7th Berlin International Directors Lounge, Berlin, Germany.
2011-CologneOFF 2011, Juried and curated by Alysse Stepanian.
2011-Union gallery, Juried, University of North Texas.
Awards2011- First Place for the Best Student Work, Union gallery, College of Visual Arts and Design, University of North Texas.
< overview
Who is Morehshin Allahyari?
I am a new media artist and an art activist. I was born (1985) and raised in Iran and moved to the United States in 2007 to study for MA in Digital Media Studies at the University of Denver.
What is Over there is over here about?
Over There Is Over Here explores the dialectics of time, space, real and unreal to define and critique the position of those who have left Iran in the last 4-5 years in relation to current political prisoners in Iran. The project uses 3D animation and data glitch as a way to illustrate presence-less presence and to show the passage and collapse of the time. Through a self-reflexive narrator, Over There Is Over Here alternates between the literary definition of a third person narrator to my actual, physical “third person” role outside Iran as narrator of the story. The narrator explores my relationship with imprisoned friends and classmates. In this relationship, I am the outsider who will always fail to understand the reality of a prisoner’s life. The more I live outside Iran, the more I will forget details of the “reality” of life inside Iran. For these reasons, the animation is a deliberate mix of real and unreal, fake and genuine.
How did you start with film? And do you have an educational background in art or film?
I went to Iran in the summer of 2010 (one year after the green movements protests). During my visit there was always this survival guilt concept that I kept thinking about: That I will go back in Fall to continue studying in the United States and all of these young Iranian students and activists will continue to stay in the prison. It was one of the most depressing summers of my life... Almost no friend was left to hang out with or have an intellectual conversation with. They either had left Iran or were in prison as political activist. During this time I found a picture of political prisoners in my grandmother album which belonged to at least 100 years ago... The prisoners were chained to each other, and their names were written on the photo... That was the start for me and for my animation...
I do not have any educational background in Film... Just in Art, Social Science and Creative Writing.
Could you explain how you work, what themes or concepts you use and what is important to you?
I come from a generation of an unsuccessful revolution, an ugly war, childhoods filled with bombs, taped windows, and happiness that was short lived and rare... My generation (and I) grew up surrounded by doubt, humiliation, hate, and unknown futures.
I borrow evidence from my life in Iran and now, the United States to explore as my subject matter. Self censorship, self-exile, collaborative art in countries of conflict, art activism, construction and deconstruction of spaces and the medium, fake and genuine are some of these subjects. Through a wide range of medium including animation, text, video art, installation, and performance I intend to make sense of the past, present, and state of in betweenness.
How long do you usually work on one project?
It depends. But it usually goes between 3-7 months. I can’t ever just make something up really quick and present it as my art work. I am always dealing with complex issues, often very poetic and emotional...
Do you carefully plan the production process or do you work more intuitive?
I plan some of the scenes, with some details about how it will start and what the general feeling/message is that I want the audience to experience in each scene ... I leave the rest to the process. I don’t like to limit myself by having everything written and mapped out. The process is always very important to me... I want the process to surprise me or bring in accidents...
How does the title relate to the work, and how do you find a fitting title?
Well, the title "Over There Is Over Here" talks about the loss of space and the fact that I am here physically but my mind is very often in Iran... But as my animation talks about this complex relationship to time and space, I found it to be the best fit.
I usually think about the concept.. Brainstorm words, then write about the concept, and then read books, poems, articles, etc related to my concept and put everything that I’ve loved the most together and choose my title. Titles usually come before the creation of my work. Words are always the main tips and elements in my work.
Where do you get your ideas or inspiration from?
From my daily life... The past and present. And from issues that I see my generation deal with. I like to come up with concepts that can be both personal and universal... In the way that they are the issues of a bigger crowd and not just mine.
How important is sound in film, and if you use sounds, do you create your own or use existing?
Very important. I usually work with a sound design artist.
How influential is the reaction to your film by the audience?
I always consider the audience in my work. The challenge for me is considering both the Iranian audience and the non-Iranians. Because I live in the United States but my work is often related to Iran. For example when I am talking about something related to Iran, I know there is a gap in understanding that issue between the Iranian and non-Iranian audience... There are so many things that I have to consider in terms of the audience when I’m making art. It’s sometimes exhausting and very challenging. But I feel I am starting to learn how to balance it out... And as an emerging artist, that’s a very big step for me in my work. So all that said, I am always interested to know what the audience think about certain decisions that I made and of course the whole work...
What is your next project about?
It’s a new body of work called "The Romantic Self Exiles", which is about the relationship between the self and the home. It presents the life of self-exiled citizens with no sense of belonging ; the life of those who live in-between, those who choose self-exile over a “home” in which they are not tolerated or welcome. I use 2D and 3D animation, installation, narrative, text, and 16mm film to present these ideas. More importantly, on a more personal level, I intend to build a land; an imaginary home for myself, to push the limits of real and unreal, memory and imagination, locality and universality, self-censorship and self- exile, time and space. How much, in this process, I can succeed in building this unbuilt (non- existing) home is my painful yet romantic challenge.
< overview
CountryUSASubtitlesEnglishEdition2011 Screenings2011-2012 The Taubman Museum of art, Juried, Roanoke, Virginia (December 2, 2011 to February 26, 2012).
2011- Thomas Erben gallery, invitational, NYC, NY (Dec 13th-17th)
2011- 24th Annual Dallas VideoFest, invitational, Angelika Film Center, Dallas, TX.
2011- Sun Flower Art Center, CologneoFF 2011, Beirut, Lebanon.
2011- Busan International Film Festival, invitational, Busan, South Korea.
2011 - FROZEN FILM FEST: Best Animated Shorts 2011, Roxie Theater, San Francisco, CA.
2011-Unlike Gallery, Juried Show, Berlin, Germany.
2011-Currents 2011, El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
2011-Athens International Film and Video Festival, Athens, Ohio.
2011-Arad art museum, Cologne Off 2011, Romania.
2011-The 7th Berlin International Directors Lounge, Berlin, Germany.
2011-CologneOFF 2011, Juried and curated by Alysse Stepanian.
2011-Union gallery, Juried, University of North Texas.
Awards2011- First Place for the Best Student Work, Union gallery, College of Visual Arts and Design, University of North Texas.
< overview
Interview
I am a new media artist and an art activist. I was born (1985) and raised in Iran and moved to the United States in 2007 to study for MA in Digital Media Studies at the University of Denver.
What is Over there is over here about?
Over There Is Over Here explores the dialectics of time, space, real and unreal to define and critique the position of those who have left Iran in the last 4-5 years in relation to current political prisoners in Iran. The project uses 3D animation and data glitch as a way to illustrate presence-less presence and to show the passage and collapse of the time. Through a self-reflexive narrator, Over There Is Over Here alternates between the literary definition of a third person narrator to my actual, physical “third person” role outside Iran as narrator of the story. The narrator explores my relationship with imprisoned friends and classmates. In this relationship, I am the outsider who will always fail to understand the reality of a prisoner’s life. The more I live outside Iran, the more I will forget details of the “reality” of life inside Iran. For these reasons, the animation is a deliberate mix of real and unreal, fake and genuine.
How did you start with film? And do you have an educational background in art or film?
I went to Iran in the summer of 2010 (one year after the green movements protests). During my visit there was always this survival guilt concept that I kept thinking about: That I will go back in Fall to continue studying in the United States and all of these young Iranian students and activists will continue to stay in the prison. It was one of the most depressing summers of my life... Almost no friend was left to hang out with or have an intellectual conversation with. They either had left Iran or were in prison as political activist. During this time I found a picture of political prisoners in my grandmother album which belonged to at least 100 years ago... The prisoners were chained to each other, and their names were written on the photo... That was the start for me and for my animation...
I do not have any educational background in Film... Just in Art, Social Science and Creative Writing.
Could you explain how you work, what themes or concepts you use and what is important to you?
I come from a generation of an unsuccessful revolution, an ugly war, childhoods filled with bombs, taped windows, and happiness that was short lived and rare... My generation (and I) grew up surrounded by doubt, humiliation, hate, and unknown futures.
I borrow evidence from my life in Iran and now, the United States to explore as my subject matter. Self censorship, self-exile, collaborative art in countries of conflict, art activism, construction and deconstruction of spaces and the medium, fake and genuine are some of these subjects. Through a wide range of medium including animation, text, video art, installation, and performance I intend to make sense of the past, present, and state of in betweenness.
How long do you usually work on one project?
It depends. But it usually goes between 3-7 months. I can’t ever just make something up really quick and present it as my art work. I am always dealing with complex issues, often very poetic and emotional...
Do you carefully plan the production process or do you work more intuitive?
I plan some of the scenes, with some details about how it will start and what the general feeling/message is that I want the audience to experience in each scene ... I leave the rest to the process. I don’t like to limit myself by having everything written and mapped out. The process is always very important to me... I want the process to surprise me or bring in accidents...
How does the title relate to the work, and how do you find a fitting title?
Well, the title "Over There Is Over Here" talks about the loss of space and the fact that I am here physically but my mind is very often in Iran... But as my animation talks about this complex relationship to time and space, I found it to be the best fit.
I usually think about the concept.. Brainstorm words, then write about the concept, and then read books, poems, articles, etc related to my concept and put everything that I’ve loved the most together and choose my title. Titles usually come before the creation of my work. Words are always the main tips and elements in my work.
Where do you get your ideas or inspiration from?
From my daily life... The past and present. And from issues that I see my generation deal with. I like to come up with concepts that can be both personal and universal... In the way that they are the issues of a bigger crowd and not just mine.
How important is sound in film, and if you use sounds, do you create your own or use existing?
Very important. I usually work with a sound design artist.
How influential is the reaction to your film by the audience?
I always consider the audience in my work. The challenge for me is considering both the Iranian audience and the non-Iranians. Because I live in the United States but my work is often related to Iran. For example when I am talking about something related to Iran, I know there is a gap in understanding that issue between the Iranian and non-Iranian audience... There are so many things that I have to consider in terms of the audience when I’m making art. It’s sometimes exhausting and very challenging. But I feel I am starting to learn how to balance it out... And as an emerging artist, that’s a very big step for me in my work. So all that said, I am always interested to know what the audience think about certain decisions that I made and of course the whole work...
What is your next project about?
It’s a new body of work called "The Romantic Self Exiles", which is about the relationship between the self and the home. It presents the life of self-exiled citizens with no sense of belonging ; the life of those who live in-between, those who choose self-exile over a “home” in which they are not tolerated or welcome. I use 2D and 3D animation, installation, narrative, text, and 16mm film to present these ideas. More importantly, on a more personal level, I intend to build a land; an imaginary home for myself, to push the limits of real and unreal, memory and imagination, locality and universality, self-censorship and self- exile, time and space. How much, in this process, I can succeed in building this unbuilt (non- existing) home is my painful yet romantic challenge.
< overview
