Khanevadeh (meaning "family" in Farsi) is a project designed to encapsulate my experience as an Iranian-American during a time where the two cultures are seemingly pitted against each other on a global scale, leading to a flurry of perspectives towards people of my kind being expressed in a multitude of places.
I approached the project so a diverse group of viewers might see something of themselves or find “space” in the series regardless of their ethnicity or social status. Having lived in the States my whole life while staying strongly connected to my ethnic roots, I aimed to communicate the feelings and thoughts that occur to me throughout my life, as well as my relationships with my immediate family members. I shot in black and white for both my digital work and my traditional photography.
The images this series contains are tied together through components that embody the message communicated throughout. This includes items such as parts of my colonial-style home, art fixtures across my home, everyday objects that have a deeper meaning, and my people, which are mainly family members and other Iranian-American individuals.
Types of photography utilized in this project include reflections, self-portraiture, portraits, and low shutter speed techniques. Reflections are a type of image I have used before, and I chose to continue working with them due to the relationship between them and perception of other humans in our daily lives. I used low shutter speed to convey moments where presence may have only been physical, along with mental absence in the moment.
