Bajazzo and Haji firouz © Shahram Entekhabi 2007

Bajazzo and Haji firouz, 2 channel-video installation	Bajazzo and Haji firouz, photographs
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Haji Firouz

Haji Firouz is a figure from Persian pre-Islamic times, that's original meaning is forgotten. But the new Islamic society continued to make use of this figure - as a kind of empty shell that they kept alive because of nostalgical reasons and the integrational function of the figure as such.
They never changed Haji Firouz's meaning. Haji Firouz as such reminds us of e.g. medieval practices when the simple people invented parodies of the aristocratic ceremonies. The most fascinating thing to me are the words that Haji Firouz uses.:

Flip flip flip,
When I flip here, someone's to complain here
When I flip there, there's also someone to complain.
A black slave like me has to be very patient.

Master, Master, take up your head
Master, Master, look at me
Master, Master, you are as sweet as sugar
My Master, why don't you laugh?''

The hyperbolism and exaggeration within these figures, have quite a potential of humour in it, with all there muscles and masculinity, there are anyway some kind of sad clowns. This leads us to the work I made for the Visual correspondent project that introduces a particular clown figure from the Middle East, the Haji Firouz. In Iran,
Shahram Entekhabi
Dez. 2007

Written, Directed & Performed by
Shahram Entekhabi

photography
Oli Keinath

Camera
Steffen Koehn

Costumes & Make up
Martina Schöne-Radunski
Manuela Pott, Berlin

Produced by: Shahram Entekhabi
Co-production: Fine Arts Unternehmen AG [Zug, CH] - www.fineartsunternehmen.com

Bajazzo and Haji firouz © Shahram Entekhabi 2007