Green Freedom
Ali Aghtar
A highly anticipated election took place in Iran during June of 2009 where Mahout Ahmadinejad was appointed for a second term as President. The irregularities in the election infuriated the Iranian people who finally had enough of corrupt politics, resulting in massive protests. With every news outlet being controlled by the government, the Iranian people took advantage of available social networking platforms and most importantly mobile communication to circulate news and organize the fight for freedom.
Green Freedom is a sculptural installation of a large-scale map of Iran, where the entire country is represented by wood cutouts of the Iranian provinces. Five mobile phones that have been connected to active Twitter accounts are mounted on this map. These accounts have the ability to send and receive live news about the current political situation in Iran and the movement towards freedom. Audience members are invited to physically interact with these phones by viewing live updates from Twitter as well as tweeting their own messages.
Green Freedom is an attempt to introduce the political situation in Iran—after the latest presidential election—to a Western audience. This installation recreates the experience of using Twitter and text messaging in a way similar to how the Iranian people have utilized it. Many of us take these tools for granted; in another part of the world they are the only way people can send and receive vital information. A link between the audience in the gallery and the freedom movement in Iran will be created through the transfer of Tweets associated with the movement. I hope to create a discussion about the issue of freedom between people inside the gallery and the outside world through this artwork.