By Niku Banaie
For decades the Middle East has been seen by many as a mysterious land with alien traditions and repressive regimes; a breeding ground for terrorists and fanatical followers of extreme leaders.
In a ‘global village’ dominated by the West and the Far East, those in the Middle have been untouched by the cultural influence of these superpowers, whether by choice or due to the lack of interest of others. The Middle East is a vast, rich region in terms of both ancient and contemporary culture, and although its isolation from Western influences has led to it being stigmatised and generalised, it has produced a purity of culture, untouched by Western imports and borne out of the lives of everyday people, true to their experiences and rooted in the history of civilisation itself. Not a re-packaging of Western values, this is rather a vast group of individual voices drawing on ancient traditions and recent struggles to create authentic cultures which in turn shape powerful forms of expression and communication.
Only now, after years of seeing the area as a war-zone, is the media spotlight also being used favourably to reveal the mysteries of Middle Eastern culture and provide a platform for cultural exchange and greater understanding.
One way of expanding our contact and knowledge would be for the Middle East media to reach out to other countries. It was recently reported that controversial Arab TV network al Jazeera is planning a global expansion, with al Jazeera International, a global English language channel to begin broadcasting by the end of 2005. The network clearly feels it is now a more widely recognised (if often criticised) brand and is seeking to exploit its new-found ‘fame’ to reach out to the West and challenge their misconceptions.
A less controversial window into Middle Eastern culture is Bidoun magazine. Founded in New York, the magazine – whose name means ‘without’ – was created “…to bring together cultural expressions from a vast and nuanced region” and aims to address misconceptions of the region’s people as repressed and one-dimensional. Now in its fourth issue, it covers art, music, film, photography, journalism and fashion from across the Middle Eastern spectrum, featuring young and established practitioners’ work alongside travel diaries and essays on ancient arts such as calligraphy and mosaics.
As Bidoun indicates, it is impossible to sum-up the culture of such a diverse region succinctly, but one country has been gaining more prominence than others in recent years and this year seems finally set to reach the wide audience it deserves. As a recent Channel 4 trailer prophesies: ‘The Iranians are Coming!’
The following trailer was for the ‘Cinema Iran’ season on the channel, a week of films and programmes which celebrated Iran’s cinema heritage and future. Alongside this season is a major, London-wide retrospective of the work of film director, photographer and poet Abbas Kiarostami. Widely regarded as one of the greatest living directors, Kiarostami’s work is often visually simple but conceptually complex, blurring the boundaries between fiction and documentary to tackle human issues such as suicide (The Taste of Cherry, winner of the 1997 Palme d’Or at Cannes) or the oppression of women (2003’s Ten which used digital technology to interweave the various characters’ stories).
http://www.channel4.com/film/filmontv/microsites/C/cinema_iran.html
The wider audience that these seasons will deservedly attract will witness a diverse body of work, which shares a common grace, humanity and humour. Once again the power comes from authenticity, with many directors using real people and real locations rather than actors and sets to create powerful and hopeful images – stories without the distractions and artifice of big budgets, special effects and Hollywood gloss.
The New Generation
In a country where more than half of the 65 million population are under 25 (Middle East Economic Digest, 2005), but where Western pop music is illegal, where there are no McDonald’s and men can be arrested if seen in a car with a female passenger who is not a relation, Iran’s younger generation have traditionally found it hard to have their voice heard. This is beginning to change though, as the internet in particular is providing a relatively unguarded platform for young Iranians to express themselves. Fansites, chatrooms and especially blogging are becoming increasingly popular amongst young Iranians as a means of exchanging ideas, voicing opinions and even flirting:
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/world/2004-02-19-blogging-in-iran_x.htm
The younger generation of artists is also using other ‘Western’ vocabularies as a means of packaging their experiences and opinions. Marjane Satrapi is a young Iranian author and illustrator whose graphic novel Persepolis told the story of her upbringing in Iran during the Islamic revolution and has garnered widespread acclaim from Europe for its intimacy, imagination and power:
http://www.randomhouse.com/pantheon/graphicnovels/satrapi.html
A recent London exhibition by Muslim artists entitled We Have Met the Enemy set out to prove the diversity of young Islamic art and make a comment on the ‘us and them’ attitude of the media during the War on Terror. It included photography, fashion advertising, graffiti and a gold knuckle-duster inscribed in raised diamante with the word ‘Allah’
http://www.reduxprojects.org.uk/shows_shezdawood_press.html
The written word is a pillar of Iranian society and is the foundation for all forms of cultural expression. Writing, in the form of calligraphy, is an ancient and far more sophisticated form of expression than in the West. The 5th Colour are a graphic design collective whose work is rooted in the traditions of Iranian script, but who break new ground in applying these techniques to a modern design aesthetic. They are at the forefront of a new wave of Iranian graphic artists who are beginning to get greater exposure and as a result are introducing Iran’s rich graphic traditions to a wider audience.
http://www.5thcolor.com/5th.htm
One brand which has already noticed the creative possibilities of this ancient form of expression is PlayStation, having recently collaborated with calligraphic artists to create The Beautiful Script, the first UK exhibition to showcase modern artistic interpretations of the script. The show contains work from 14 artists from the realms of graphics, photography, ceramics, fine art, fashion and film, all of whom have interpreted the PSP design themes of ‘desire’, ‘beauty’ and ‘freedom’ via their chosen medium, but using calligraphy as their chief inspiration.
Further exposure to this form has come from such artists’ work being used for record sleeve and movie poster design. For example the packaging of the work of artists on Lex Records and the company graphic identity shows strong Middle Eastern influences such as flowing, calligraphic script and mosaic patterning.
Street Talk: The Art of War
Understandably, whether new generations working today or those from previous decades, much of the work of Middle Eastern artists is a reaction to the political and religious regime it was created within, whether in protest or celebration. One of the key media for the expression of such views is street art and murals. Buildings across Tehran are covered in bold, intricate and colourful works, ranging from shrines to Homeini and martyrs killed in military conflict to more direct attacks on the West. Some are produced by the Government, others by individuals, many of whom command large commissions from political groups for their work.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4254203.stm
http://www.pbase.com/zanoni/irans_street_art
This is not to say that all Middle Eastern culture must carry a political message. There is a huge array of purely decorative and entertaining art forms that are hugely influential if not hugely accredited in the West and even the most modern examples clearly have their origins in the region’s ancient traditions. For example, the Middle East has been a strong influence on the colours, fabrics and treatments used in the UK fashion and beauty sector, from the opening of an authentic hammam (steam room and baths) in London last summer to the use of jewels, jade and Arabic patterns in outfits from Matthew Williamson and Chloe in recent seasons and the first Middle East Fashion Week:
http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/fashion/show-art.php?news_unid=108
In music, the last few years have seen a slew of hip hop and R’n’B singles sampling Eastern string and vocal sounds, culminating in the recent number one from the Chemical Brothers.
http://www.thechemicalbrothers.com/
In 2006 the V&A museum in London will be opening a new museum dedicated to Islamic Middle East art. The new gallery will house treasures from the V&A’s superb collection of Islamic art from the Middle East, including such famous pieces as the ‘Ardabil carpet’ from 16tth-century Iran, which is one of the largest and finest carpets in existence.
http://www.vam.ac.uk/futureplan/projects/islamic/index.html
One glance at an issue of Bidoun or an Iranian film is enough to provide a powerful sense of diversity, humanity and purity. The heritage of the region runs through all forms of cultural expression like a flowing calligraphy script, with each artist re-writing the script to communicate their experience and opinion. This mixture of authenticity and idiosyncrasy creates powerful pieces of communication which are only now being brought to a wider audience, offering us an opportunity to understand and be enriched by this forgotten and misunderstood culture.
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Niku Banaie is Director Of Innovation at London based marketing communications agency, Naked. IF recently interviewed Niku Banaie here.
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