Cityscape of Resistance (2024)

Description:
Cityscape of Resistance is a multimedia artwork presented as an installation, consisting of a short film and three video works. The piece explores themes of privacy, mass surveillance, and the techno-futuristic reality of contemporary modern life. Through its immersive video installation, the work reanimates the daily lives of Tehran’s citizens under relentless surveillance. Inspired by the works of Stan VanDerBeek, the installation uses multiple projection surfaces and sound channels to create a 360-degree environment that fully immerses the audience on a multisensory level. This setup imitates and re-creates the pervasive presence of surveillance in Iran as a developing country, floating viewers in the unsettling experience of being constantly watched.

The short film, shown at intervals as part of the installation, takes place in a near-future Tehran where the concept of privacy is nonexistent, neither a concern nor a term familiar to its citizens. Amidst this dystopian reality, a secret society emerges, using experimental methods to resist the authoritarian regime. The piece was presented at CHB (Collegium Hungaricum Berlin) as part of a group exhibition in 2024.
Medium: Installation, Video-Art, Short film, 3-Channel Video, 6-Channel Audio, Mixed Media, Sculpture
Creator, Director, Sound and Composition: Sel Alizadeh
Cinematography: Soroush Alizadeh
Cast: Ardavan Entezari, Soroush Alizadeh
Runtime: 22 minutes
Genre: Fiction, Sci-Fi, Drama

Watch: On demand, contact through the website.