This project began with two negative films that I discovered by chance in Iran. Both probably date from the 1970s, one from Iran and the other from Germany. The film strips tell two parallel stories of joy, dance, relaxation in the grass and the need for freedom and laughter. These stories overlap here, creating a new meaning that emphasizes similarities despite the geographical distance. To create these collages, I followed the instruction on the film cover: ‘Do not cut the film’. Instead of cutting, I covered up certain parts to highlight similarities.
The collages consist of handmade C-prints that have only been trimmed at the edges. The prints were layered and hung to visually highlight the connecting elements of the two stories.

Shary Talebian (*1990, Tehran, IR) lives and works in Leipzig. She graduated from Tehran University of Fine Arts in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in painting. Since 2020 she has been studying photography at the Leipzig Academy of Fine Arts.
Her practice interweaves archival materials, vernacular photographs, collage, texts and installations and is mainly concerned with themes such as death, memory, transience, and visualization of personal experiences through photographs.