Together with Benji Boyadgian
This film explores the juxtaposition of four clocks, constructed between the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Iran and Palestine, as subjects of comparative analysis. As markers of time, these clocks bear the weight of colonial histories, technological impositions, and the politics of temporal regulation. They function as both material artefacts and metaphorical devices, revealing the layered complexities of historical memory. Using a fictional methodology, the research-based project navigates the intersections of colonial memory, urban myths, memoirs, and the evolving technologies of timekeeping. The clocks serve as entry points into a multiplicity of historical narratives, allowing for an exploration of how time itself becomes a contested site, shaped by imperial projects, national imaginaries, and local adaptations. Transparent fictional narratives, interwoven with archival research, create a dialogue between two geopolitical conditions: Tehran and Jerusalem, where histories remain entangled yet often obscured. Through a collaborative and dialogical approach, this project aims to destabilise dominant historical narratives, challenging the permanence of hegemonic discourses. By situating Iran and Palestine within a shared temporal framework, the work highlights the tensions between imposed structures of time and the lived experiences of those navigating colonial and postcolonial realities. In this sense, the clocks are not mere instruments of measurement but active witnesses to histories of conflict, resistance, and reconfiguration.
WUK, The Owl, Cross Section, Vienna, 2018
