Time Tunnels (Happiness — Nostalgia: a Story of Linear Time) is a re-reading of Sia Armajani’s work before/after (1970). In her work, Sepideh Behrouzian reconceptualises Armajani’s formulation of a linear temporality into a structure where happiness is the object of desire. This happiness becomes not only the object of acquisition, possession, distribution and contagion, but also a duty that perpetually stays out of reach.

In Time Tunnels, Behrouzian instrumentalises the popular and very distributed footages of Iran’s previous regime. This footage was once used in the previous regime’s propaganda to represent the happy prospect of Iran in an era to come. Today, these footages are used by the opposition to look back at a lost happiness. In both cases, happiness becomes an object impossible to acquire, yet with a strong power to evoke on and mobilise society. Through associations and cinematic effects, Behrouzian inserts these footages into two opposing linear temporalities, happiness becoming an unattainable promise that stretches both into the future and the past, creating a tunnel of linear time.

Sepideh Behrouzian’s Time Tunnels was projected at with the rubbles of old palaces on the 13th of May 2022, followed up by a Q&A on the artist’s research for this project and an open discussion with the public.

Time Tunnels’ sound design has been created by Shakib Sharifzadeh.

Time Tunnels (Happiness — Nostalgia: a Story of Linear Time) is part of the series Promises of Ever-coming Prosperity  // نوید آبادانی  with Sepideh Behrouzian.

SEE THE EVENT LIVE-STREAM HERE:

TIME TUNNELS Happiness — Nostalgia: a Story of Linear Time as part of the series Promises of Ever-coming Prosperity  // نوید آبادانی , presented by Sepideh Behrouzian and moderated by Hannah O’Flynn. Sound design by Shakib Sharifzadeh.

All photographs by Marc Norbert Hörler.

Special thank you to Shakib Sharifzadeh, Liu Chao, Pablo Giménez Arteaga and Marc Norbert Hörler.

Questions at the Q&A were brought up by Liu Chao and Joannie Baumgärtner.