ABBAS KIAROSTAMI 'IN-CONVERSATION' WITH AHMAD KARIMI-HAKKAK AND GEOFF ANDREW
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KIAROSTAMI'S TA'ZIYEH

Venue:

Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL.

Date and time:

1 May, 2005 - 14.30.

Organised by:

The Iran Heritage Foundation, the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute.

Supported by:

Altajir Trust and Credit Suisse.

'In-conversation':

Abbas Kiarostami will discuss his presentation of the Ta'ziyeh as well as his artistic vision with Ahmad Karimi Hakkak, and Geoff Andrew. Ahmad Karimi Hakkak is the director of the Center of Persian Studies of the University of Maryland and the co-translator of Kiarostami's poetry, which is published by the Harvard University Press. Geoff Andrew is programmer at the NFT, the curator of the Kiarostami film season at the NFT which is part of the 2005 London-wide Kiarostami-festival and the author of a new book on 10. The discussion will follow a presentation of Kiarostami's Ta'ziyeh and it is only natural that the discussion will commence with Kiarostami's presentation and interpretation of the Ta'ziyeh as its topic, and then proceed to other aspects of the artist's work.

Kiarostami's Ta'ziyeh:

The Ta'ziyeh is one of the few surviving forms of popular, traditional theatre generated by the Islamic world, and seems an unusual choice for a director who prefers the simple and the non-dramatic. But Kiarostami's production is hardly straight. Because he doesn't just present the play, but an Iranian audience as well. In the version that will be shown in London the performance of the passion play will be shown on a large television. Behind the television are two large screens, on which one sees the faces of Iranian spectators watching a previous performance of the same version of the Ta'ziyeh. The effect is a curious one. One watches the play, and a version of oneself. This, says the artist, is the idea: 'Ta'ziyeh is strictly linked to its audience - the event is actually created by the rapport between actors and spectators'. With his version of the Ta'ziyeh, Kiarostami transforms 'an empty stage show' into 'a living ritual'. His films of audiences are recorded in rural villages where the Ta'ziyeh tradition is strongest. The faces have been edited so that their reactions correspond to the drama we see unfolding on the TV screen. In the play's introductory phases, women whisper gossip to each other, and a young boy tells what looks like a hilarious story to a man who might be his grandfather. But as the tragic denouement approaches, the waverers are transfixed and eyes begin to fill with tears. One woman sobs uncontrollably into her chador; men rock, head in hands, or beat their breasts in grief. In fact, this version of the Ta'ziyeh is about more than the tragedy depicted in the traditional script. It is about how the west views Islam, and vice versa. The London version of Kiarostami's Ta'ziyeh was fist shown in Brussels in 2004 as part of the Kunsten Festival des Arts. The original version, which was presented in Rome and Taormina in 2002, included a live performance of the passion play by an Iranian theatre group. In the Brussels and London version the live performance has been substituted by a film of a performance by the same theatre group, which is shown on a TV screen.

Priority booking:

Kiarostami's Ta'ziyeh followed by an 'in-conversation' between the artist, Ahmad Karimi-Hakkak and Geoff Andrew takes place directly after the conference entitled Abbas Kiarostami: Image, Voice and Vision. Tickets for the 'in-conversation' and the presentation of the Ta'ziyeh on 1 May will be sold exclusively to conference bookers until 15 April. After that date tickets will be on general sale. This restriction does not apply to additional presentations of the Ta'ziyeh. For more information on the conference, click on www.iranheritage.org/kiarostamiconference. For more information on additional Ta'ziyeh presentations click on www.iranheritage.org/kiarostamitaziyeh.

Ta'ziyeh and 'in-conversation' combined tickets:

15 GBP, 12 GBP (concessions), 8 GBP (students). (Reduced prices subject to proof of status).

Box office:

44 20 7942 2820 (bookings only). Early booking is strongly advised due to very limited seating.

Enquiries:

The Iran Heritage Foundation, 5 Stanhope Gate, London W1K 1AH. 44 20 7493 4766 (tel), 44 20 7499 9293 (fax), info@iranheritage.org.

Kiarostami festival:

This programme is part of a London-wide programme of events entitled Abbas Kiarostami: Visions of the Artist celebrating the achievements of this artist and his impact on contemporary culture and society.