Eight women, three cultures, one conversation. A conversation within the 'third space' that living within two cultures creates. A poetic celebration and evocation of the richness of cross-over culture and identity.
Within the context of current shifts in Iran, and of having access to an understanding of two very diverse cultures which straddle the current reconfiguration of the middle east, I asked women of British-Iranian background a series of questions around identity and memory.
I then used extracts from the audio interviews combined with footage and sounds based on the interviewees descriptions, to evoke the richness and paradox of the 'third' country they inhabit. The final film, rather than a study of individual personalities, is a poetic interweaving of stories and thoughts on the subject.
Alinah Azadeh is a British-Iranian artist based in London whose work over the last ten years ranges from animated shorts (The Hidden Hand, Unspoken Symphony) and public art media commissions (Memo, Routed) to interactive installation work (Space Within The Real) and software design (Doki.tv). She has worked extensively with communities to explore identity using video and sound.
Originally a painter, Alinah spent most of her twenties in Paris, France and moved into animation and video practice on her return to the UK in 1994. She went on to study electronic media and worked as a new media designer for five years in London and Brighton, UK.
She completed an MA in Media Arts practice at the University of Westminster in 2001 and was a founding member of creative partnership 'nectar digital' in Brighton until 2002. She now works independently as an artist and lives in London.
alinah@the-gifts.info
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