Shirin Neshat Analysis

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Background of Shirin Neshat: Born in 1957, in Qazvin, Iran. She moved to the United States in 1974. After graduating from UC Berkeley, she moved to New York City where she continues to live and work. In 1993 Neshat turned to making photographic projects and videos that explore questions of gender in relation to Islamic fundamentalism and militancy. Throughout her career, she has consistently probed issues of power, displacement identity, and the space between the personal and the political. [SOURCE: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Museum label for Shirin Neshat Passage. San Francisco, CA, 2001.] SHIRIN NESHAT’S PASSAGE FILM ANALYSIS: …show more content…

The background music of the video is strong and somehow tries to create gloomy environment. The cluster of women in chadors are involved in digging a burial site with bare hands. The young solitary girl is seen piling stones in the circular form. As the group of men approaches, the scene is switched to the group of men, women and young girl showing their activity progress alternatively. Finally, the group of men reaches the spot on desert where women are digging continuously and the young girl piling two or three layers of stones in circular manner. In the final frame of the film the corpse is laid on ground. The three elements unite together. And a ring of fire extending from stones is ignited, creating the poetic image of loss, grief, renewal and hope. [SOURCE: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Museum label for Shirin Neshat Passage. San Francisco, CA, …show more content…

Other than this, no sound of a person, conversations or anything is heard. The music seems to be composed of string instrument like violin. Sound effects are strong and captures the attention of people watching the film. Primarily two major different category of sounds are used. The first sound heard is composed of violin or similar string instrument in a loop. The second sound is related with opera where women with high pitch in a loop as well. The music makes the film more gloomy and makes to think something is going to happen either bad or good. Whole film is edited presenting the image of group of men, women and the young girl showing their corresponding activity. Every time the scene is switched among one another; it shows the progress in their activity i.e. group of men approaching with dead corpse wrapped in a white cloth, cluster of women in chador digging and the young innocent girl piling stones. No special effect or animation is done with the documentary. The video filming is done in a simple manner but the story behind reflects huge controversial