Yesterday, me and some of my classmates had arranged a meeting with the photographer Gohar Dashti who is working in Bradford at the moment as part of the 1mile² project. I should probably give some background as to why firstly this would perk our interest. In my module Conventions of Photography we have been assigned with roughly a square mile of Bradford and must go to a section or all of it and photograph it as part of the landscape project. At first I was a bit apprehensive as I have never really took to landscape photography but I have been surprised as to how comfortable I am. In a future blog I will show some of the images I have took but for now I want to discuss a practicing photographer. At first we discussed as a group our experiences in Bradford and compared and contrasted them. She had found it difficult as Bradford is one of those bizarre cities which is a cross-breed of a city and a village which I too have found odd. Living mostly in the countryside this may have been a subconscious decision I made and to stay close to home in case something happened and I was needed. Something I both regret but also stand by. The 1mile² project is a programme set up for artists and ecologists who are given these 1mile² across the world. Their goal is to capture something about the 1mile² they are given, to convey to the viewer how they experienced these places. Gohar was mostly interested in the countryside being brought into the city and had shown some preliminary photographs which was a delight as they haven't been exhibited as of yet. We discussed with her how Bradford has been labeled with a bad reputation and to be honest since I moved here in September it has been a bit of an eye-opener. I've traveled around and had seen some interesting and culturally different places which I have taken to like a duck to water such as Malaysia, the Balearic Isles, Barcelona, Paris but I've never been anywhere as unfriendly as Bradford. Now, I know that seems harsh but its an experience felt by others and in this group it was interesting to discuss these issues with Gohar originating from Iran, who was an outsider coming in having never experienced a city such as Bradford before. She had discussed with us how the people of Bradford were defensive about why she was there and why was she taking photographs. And I think Bradford has got to this sad stage where people are so defensive about their city which used to belong to them that they almost justify its reputation. Since starting the project, I have seen a different and more tranquil side to Bradford. We were given a section on Horton Road which is allegedly renowned for being "rough". But honestly, I found it very inspirational. Gohar showed us some of her previous work from "Today's Life and War", examples are shown below.
She grew up in Iran, a time when Iraq and Iran were at war with each other. She was asked by the Iranian government to take photos about the war and so she rented out this piece of land which was a war zone but was left for film-makers to use in their projects which I found very interesting. In these images they speak about how normal people who had no say in what occurred around them had to live and make lives with a war happening literally on their doorsteps. At first it seems like it could be about the battle of love and the trails and tribulations that we have to go through but as she explained it was more than that. It speaks about her generation of young people who grew up in these conditions and how their lives were brought into the conflict. The images are epic and harrowing stamping into our minds the significance of others mistakes. I was particularly moved by the image in the middle. How the couple are trying to be "normal" living their lives like anyone else would, watching TV something taken for granted in other countries, having the almost luxury of being able to relax in your own home and settle in front of some rubbish on TV and forget your life for a bit. The extent of the damage has left its scars on the land as can be seen although as I said before it was left in this state for movie makers. In the first image the tank seems to be pointing at the man which is amusing but also then alarming. How do we know its a derelict war zone? It could be aiming to fire. It signifies his frustration as the woman speaks into her mobile phone. The lack of communication they have between them even though she seems to be communicating with someone else. How he's trying to talk to her over dinner whilst she is more interested in her own conversation. This could speak about the lack of communication between the people and the government or how the people were ignored and the government were more interested in their own thought patterns rather than their people's. Now, I don't know much about Iranian politics so forgive me if I speak out of line but this is what I have gathered from people's experiences and from work I've looked at. Issues like this can be related to many governments including our own. In correlation to other countries our country runs like clockwork but we have issues with our politicians taking advantage of its people and making decisions without seeming to care about its consequences and the damage it will cause e.g. economy joke of a crisis, the war in Iraq and then Afghanistan and anywhere else America decides to mess with, closing of basically any job opportunities like the mines, mills, manufacturing, tax increases, student loans increases £9000 apparently although I think that will die down by the time its meant to be implemented to look like the politicians care. What can we say we are proud of any more? Or known for? Everything that we could be proud of has been exported out of here and now we are a country of imports. I love my country but I think its past its sell by date.
When we were talking about Gohar's work, the earlier conversation was still echoing in my mind. Then she said that after two years of trying to exhibit the work she was finally allowed to exhibit and when she came to exhibit the work in Iran, pieces were took out "not for political reasons". They were defensive about how their country was being portrayed. You could say that was unfair but it reminded me of Bradford. When the city or even country you are a part of is being what you see as discriminating you will see it as defensive because its yours. Obviously what happened with Gohar's work was different but the concept is the same. Countries have started wars because they have been offended which is ridiculous. They squabble like an old married couple and its their children that suffer. I've lived all over the place, and I haven't had somewhere which I'd classify as home since I lived in Derbyshire which was 10 years ago. And if anyone discriminated that I would come down like a sack of bricks. Its all it takes, we are mere humans, our countries are run by people like us but who are a bit more greedy and power crazed and all it takes is for another country to through stones. I found Gohar's work and her as an artist very enlightening as I was shown a narrative of a place I'd never fully understood and made me want to investigate further. Until next time...
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