KIAROSTAMI'S TA'ZIYEH

Installation

Venue:

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

Dates and times:

2 May, 2005 - 12.00; 3 May, 2005 - 12.00; 4 May, 2005 - 12.00; 5 May, 2005 - 12.00; 6 May, 2005 - 12.00; 7 May, 2005 - 12.00; 8 May, 2005 - 12.00.

Duration of presentation:

100 minutes.

Organised by:

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

Supported by:

Altajir Trust, Arts Council, Credit Suisse, Ecufin Ltd.

Introduction:

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.

Tickets:

8 GBP, 6 GBP (concessions), 5 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.