This is the story of the artist’s journey. She is flying from the United Kingdom, where she and her husband live, to a third country, Germany, where her sister lives, to meet her family who are travelling from Iran. She hadn’t seen her family for a very long time.

They listen to her parents talk about memories of home and compare Europe with Iran; they observe the once familiar, their habits, their past passions and doubts, and the views of two generations. This project flows like a river, winding around conversations and reflecting two generations: the one that experienced the trauma of the revolution and the one that does not remember it but feels its aftershocks.

Landscapes, old and new, interweave with family shots; the life of the individual is aligned with the history of humanity.

The series consists of fragmented units that are either based on formal aspects or rooted in paintings, archive photographs or the political, social, or historical context of monuments.

Each of these fragments is juxtaposed in a new story in book form, detached from its original context. By presenting them in a new context, the images are intertwined and woven together through narrative allusion. Some objects and elements are used as metaphors or symbols, others refer directly to dialogues.

This creates a bridge between different worlds. They look at the present, at what is happening before their eyes, and try to look forwards, but sometimes they also look backwards. In exploring the connections between past and present, particularly in exploring forgotten histories, the photographer uses the medium of photography to connect to the past. She is interested in recording not only her own history, but also past times, to illustrate not only her personal experience, but history as such, including the time she did not live in that led to this present.

The intricate nature of her personal situation, nested within the wider political landscape, seems to have unexpectedly distilled into this strange Christmas.