I was thinking this morning, how I crucial this virtual space of a blog will be, as my studio is a cluttered mess and daily life is packed, so this virtual space will be where , hopefully I will keep a track of my progress and create some virtual order in my life.

I like to keep a notebook and a scrap book of ideas as I go along, so for this first part I am going to transfer all my images and stories into the blog. It will be a process of catching up with where I am at with it all.

Firstly, what is the residency about? What was my pitch? Well this is what I am aiming to do :

During this residency I want to create a semi autobiographical film and sound instillation piece, which delves deep into the experience of being mixed culture.
I will be using my own Iranian – UK heritage as a starting point. I also hope to use humour, music, film footage and sound design to
lead the audience on an experiental journey. During the residency process I wil be interviewing and filming others of mixed culture living in Scotland,
their personal stories will either indirectly or directly be woven into the fabric of the final piece. I am really excited about the journey this residency will lead me on and the challenge creatively of making personal work.

( it will be of interest to me whether the final piece will be anything like what I set out to do…. but I guess that’s what this is all about…)

So far I have been keeping a scrap book and note book where I have been collecting stories I have written and images that provoke me or move me. Some of the images are personal, from family archives, others just from the newspapers or galleries. So for the first part of this blog I will be updating my scrap book and note book into the blog. I’m hoping this process of self-editing and looking back will also point in some directions or shed some light on any themes that might be emerging.

First I will start with a list of materials I have collected so far.

1. A dusty cardboard box, filled with 17 reels of Super 8 film. This film is from my family archive, found hiding on a shelf. I am pleased to say the footage has all been digitised successfully and there were some moments of amazement, tears, raw emotion and full on belly laughter. Some of the exciting bits were finding footage of pre-Revolution Iran, in particular my mum wandering through Persepolis, shading her head with a newspaper, and dressed in a knee lenght red and white flowery dress and sandals. It took me a moment to recognise Iran, I have become so used to seeing women in hijab and black chador, it was amazing to see what pre-1979 looked like on a moving grainy super 8 whirl of real film. Pure Magic.

2. A black and white photograph of me aged 4 or 5 in Tehran. That is me sat next to the boy clutching his knees. . this photo is in many ways the starting point for the residency and the process it will lead me on. I often look at this photo and wonder if I had stayed in Iran, what life would l be leading now. Image wise in the photo I love the hustle and bustle, the chaos of the merry go round which is jam packed and vibrant.