Video Works
Video Works
HAJI FIRUZ
Single channel video. 2005
05:30 min, stereo, non-dialogue
A Coproduction: Visual Foreign Correspondents, Amsterdam 2007 and Amsterdamse Fonds voor de Kunsten, VSB, De Balie en het Nederlands Instituut voor Mediakunst .
Haji Firuz is a traditional character in Iran, similar to a clown, and is known for appearing in public spaces and declaring the start of the Persian New Year, Nowruz.
In this video, Shahram Entekhabi is performing his own version of Haji Firuz in a shopping street in West Berlin. This is a contemporary representation of Haji Firuz in a European urban space. This is a reflection of visibility, migration, and cultural displacement.
This is a representation of Haji Firuz in a European urban space. This is a reflection of visibility, migration, and cultural displacement.
Haji Firuz is a character from pre-Islamic culture in Iran. The character of Haji Firuz has remained in Iranian culture as a symbol of celebration, even though the original meaning of Haji Firuz is no longer relevant.
This is a reflection of the ambiguity of the character of a clown, performed through mimicry and exaggeration, which is visible and invisible, entertaining and intimidating.
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