The Newborns
1979
Video, 00:45:00.
Materials:
Collection: Courtesy of the artist.
The Newborns captures the vibrancy of the everyday on the streets of Tehran immediately after the Iranian revolution of 1979. Shots of impassioned street discussions, revolutionary theatre and distribution of political pamphlets, are interspersed with everyday scenes of leisure, showing the optimism and commitment permeating the public sphere. Ending with the announcement of the new constitution that will lead to the foundation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the film documents a political limbo in which public space becomes an arena in which short-lasting promises of social transformation and revolutionary potential just before they are violently interrupted.