Iranian Door Knockers: Photographs by Alireza Jahanpanah
June 10 – July 4, 2015
While travelling across Iran in urban and rural areas searching out indigenous and historical living spaces for a research project, architect and photographer Alireza Jahanpanah became interested in the beautiful and unique door knockers he encountered. The knockers, which are used to create a sound that sends a simple message from the outside in, came to represent a poetic expression of people, architecture, culture, and history.
Jahanpanah has researched the forging methods and designs utilized and will share the unique cultural and historical identity of door knockers as a nation’s relics plus the small part they play in Iran’s cultural heritage. Historically, men and women had separate knockers with different aesthetic characteristics and designed to produce a distinct sound which allowed the inhabitants to determine a visitor’s gender.
Jahanpanah is showing a selection from his collection of more than 2,500 photographs of Iranian door knockers, and two actual antique knockers. Jahanpanah was born in Tehran, Iran, and migrated to Canada in 2009.
Artist talk and screening of a short film about this project: Sunday, June 14, 2 p.m.
Reception with live Iranian music by Nava Music Centre: Sunday, June 14, 3 p.m.
