Lines That Define Us
In this project, I focus on Iran’s borders throughout various historical periods to reflect the shifting and unstable concept of identity concerning demarked lines. The following text outlines the initial ideas that shape this work.
In this series, I aim to develop a critical analyze of the connection between human identity and border lines, reflecting on how they define our notions of presence, movement, and freedom. Geographical demarcations directly influence interpersonal relations, shaping collective identities, acquaintanceships or animosities. Historical borders, often established through conventional events rather than inherent necessity, have led individuals to mentally situate their identities within constructed frameworks. For instance, two cities that once shared a language, culture, and collective identity may now perceive each other through distinct and even adversarial lenses, all due to the imposition of borders.
Although historical borders no longer exist, their cultural and linguistic impact endures. However, it is human relationships and interactions that remain most affected by these boundaries. My daily experiences involve witnessing the effects of identity formation based on demarcation lines: I encounter millions of individuals from a neighboring country, many of whom were born in my own homeland, yet they are still categorized as distinctly “other,” despite shared linguistic, cultural, ritualistic, and anthropological roots.
Through this work, I aim to demonstrate that human identity is constructed through mechanisms far more intricate than imposed categorizations. Cultural, and anthropological affinities transcend political boundaries.
The maps I present depict the geographical or political borders of my nation over the past 3,000 years. The common thread among them is their continuous change and transformation. The present moment of categorization, in this sense, is not a fixed reality but a distortion, a layered accumulation of past interactions. Much like languages, cultures, and even human DNA, none of which can claim an absolute purity, our presence today embodies interwoven movements and encounters.
Visually, this work seeks to articulate the fluidity, distortion, multilayered and hybrid nature of identity and culture, questioning the very notion of fixed boundaries.
The works presented here are created using markers on multiple layers of O.H.P films, where the images are not only presented individually but also accumulated layer by layer to demonstrate the mixed and undetectable nature of identity.