The first light installation in Iran was organized at Tehran’s Azadi (Freedom) Tower by German artist Philipp Geist, on Saturday night.
Geist has developed a projection mapping light installation ‘Gate of Words’ at the historical tower, in the west of Tehran, which is on till October 5, Mehr News Agency reported.
The light installation concert was inaugurated in the presence of the artist, German Ambassador to Tehran Michael von Ungern-Sternberg and several Iranian artists and cultural figures.
Using four large projectors to illuminate the tower, Geist projects the video mapping installation directly onto one side of the tower. The installation visualizes the topics of freedom, peace, space, and time artistically.
In a poetical manner, he addresses the topics and develops the light installation made of colored words and concepts in different languages, abstract forms and painterly compositions of images.
The glowing words are in English, German and Persian moving in sync with live music on the walls of the tower.
At a press conference prior to the event, Geist said that it would help deepen cultural exchange between Iran and Germany, and hoped to become familiar with young Iranian artists during the project.
The tower, located at Azadi Square, is the landmark of modern Tehran. Its architecture establishes a connection between modern Islamic architecture and the Sassanid style. A three-dimensional sculpture, there are several fountains around the base of the tower and a museum underground.
Built in 1971, this “gateway into Tehran” was named “Shahyad” (king’s memorial) but was changed to Azadi after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The-50 meter tower (164 ft) is constructed with white marble from Isfahan Province, and includes 8000 blocks of stone.
Geist, 39, works internationally as an artist with the mediums of video, light installation, photography and painting. He has developed projects in Germany, Italy, Spain, Canada and Brazil so far.
