images of corporeal fragmentation, dismembering, or dis-membrane-ing

An original work by Bahar Abdi

Bahar Abdi holds a bachelor’s degree in Persian Language and Literature from Tehran University and an MLitt in Middle Eastern Literary and Cultural Studies from the University of St. Andrews. She is currently a PhD student in the Literature Department at University of California, San Diego. Her research interests include women’s everyday life in post-revolutionary Iran, social movements, performance and politics, and socially engaged art.

Artist’s Statement:
In my video essay, titled “images of corporeal fragmentation, dismembering, or dis-membrane-ing,” I focus on the Woman, Life, Freedom uprising in Iran and the unfolding events in the country, exploring the concept of “remote intimacy”. Seeking to transcend the mere amplification of marginalized voices, my goal is to craft an immersive and dynamic experience for the audience. To achieve this, I employ techniques such as layered soundscapes, split/multiple screens, footage of viewers watching/reacting, music-image juxtapositions, scrolling/touching of images on digital devices, and so on. Adopting a poetic approach, I convey the intricate emotions and complexities surrounding the uprising from my perspective of a distant observer within Iranian society.

Drawing inspiration from Chloé Galibert-Laîné’s video essay, “Watching the Pain of Others,” I integrate the act of watching within my own video essay. I include footage of viewers recording themselves as they engage with a compiled file containing the videos and sounds used as resources in this essay. My intention is to provide a space for the images and sounds to speak for themselves, inviting subjective perception and interpretation.

I source footage primarily from social media platforms, particularly Instagram, as unofficial documentation of the protests. Additionally, I incorporate sounds from protest videos and audio tracks recorded during conversations between political prisoners and their family members over the phone. These elements intertwine, seeking to construct a multi-layered audiovisual journey. This meta-cinematic element tends to enrich the non-linear narrative structure, mirroring the diverse nature of the protests and the fragmented experience of an observer simultaneously present and absent. The inclusion of audio tracks from prisoners serves a dual purpose. Firstly, it humanizes the voices behind the movement, emphasizing the individuals who have contributed to the uprising. Secondly, it brings together bodies that are physically separated through segregation, imprisonment, displacement, and other forms of adversity. By incorporating these audiovisual elements, my aim is to bridge the gaps between individuals and underscore the collective experiences and aspirations that bind them together.

Finally, the title and the textual elements integrated into the video essay are borrowed from Silvia Gerlsbeck’s article, “Fragmentations, Phantom Limbs, Re-memberings: Negotiating Bodies, Representation, and Subjectivity in Caribbean British Writing.” These elements, coupled with images and soundtracks, come together to create a collage that conveys a unique and layered narrative.