I’m Not a Song to Be Sung

“I’m Not a Song to Be Sung” is a three-channel video installation that explores the lives of a generation of Iranians whose lives have been profoundly affected by decades of war, international sanctions, and civil and social pressures following the Iranian Revolution in 1979. Exhausted from their experiences, most of the work’s characters are now undertaking the process of immigration or are seriously considering leaving their homeland. Each character was asked to stay underwater and recite lines from a Persian poem by Shamlou in English. The duration of each reading ranges from several seconds to over a minute.

Project Crew

Underneath, it’s all poetry: Tooraj ​Khamenehzadeh’s ​I’m Not a Song to Be Sung by Natasha Chuk

I’m Not a Song to Be Sung, Iran and USA, 2018-2019 © Tooraj Khamenehzadeh