Iranian Bauhaus

‘Amongst blood and birth, life and death play chasey.’

This phrase, sandwiched between similar poignant declarations, circle and engulf the energy of Carlton’s La Mama Theatre. In Elnaz Sheshgelani’s Iranian Bauhaus, performance reaches back to the very depths of the human psyche to explore the ambiguities of life through the power of the pre-Islamic art form, Naghali.

Over the course of the 45-minute performance, archetypes of the human psyche are expressed through Naghali – the most ancient form of Persian dramatic storytelling known today – a multimodal expression encompassing puppetry, masked visual theatre, stylised gesture and music. It is a style of art performance that Sheshgelani masters so effectively.

The performance is entirely conveyed in the rarely spoken Naghali language, accompanied with an English translation played through the AV. The poetry and beauty of the language soon enchants when Shesghelani steps on the stage, deftly taking control of the space, elegantly weaving her way around the cream-coloured animal-shaped props dangling from the ceiling. At this moment, you are introduced to Mithra and Tishtrya, the deities associated with light and rain, respectively. They are two women, but their connection is unclear. Are they sisters? Are they lovers?

Iranian Bauhaus offers a modern and political twist on a timeless tradition. At the very end, images of political world leaders – some good, some bad – are projected onto a balloon. We’re talking Nelson Mandala, Donald Trump, John Horward and Hitler, among others. Here, the different art threads work in unison for Sheshgelani to declare what is the truth from our leaders.

Theatre maker, puppeteer and dancer, Shesghgelani has a deep connection to Ancient Persian culture. In her postdoctoral research at the University of Melbourne, she creatively reconstructed the gestural vocabulary of an early form of Naghali that was lost after the Islamic conquest of Persia.

Hypnotic, striking and alluring, Iranian Bauhaus is a mesmerising story of the human condition. The show is on stage till Sunday 20 December.

Iranian Bauhaus
La Mama Courthouse, 349 Drummond Street, Carlton, 3053
Till Saunday, 20 December 2020
lamama.com.au/whats-on/december-2020/iranian-bauhaus

Images: Rick Evertsz