Presence sans Presence
Along the pathways of now and then, through abandoned places and non-places—residential complexes, malls, hotels, and deserted buildings—it is me, myself, who is being looked for…
Places once dependent on human presence are now left carrying only its traces.
The trend of each presence is repeated in the circle of repetition…
Feelings, manners, feelings, manners…
Years, years, and years ago…
Now, and now…
Years, and years, and years later…
Presence sans Presence is a three-channel video installation constructed from still images of the rooms of the abandoned Grand Hotel in my hometown, Qazvin. Using Chroma Key techniques, my performed presence moves through these deserted interiors as a figure suspended between appearance and disappearance, memory and repetition.
* Grand Hotel is one of the oldest remaining hotels in Iran and was the site of several important political events, including the planning of Reza Khan’s coup d’état.
Presence sans Presence, Iran, 2009 © Tooraj Khamenehzadeh
6' Looped, Three Channel Video Installation, Color High-Definition