family photos, audio recording of Ali Malekadeli
This work tells the story of myself. The photos are mostly from my lineage before I was born. Photos with my image are obscured. Photos with family and friends that have passed are skewed. The formation of the family photos writes Leila in Farsi, لیلا. There is clear lineation between these photos regarding time and location. Some of my father’s family has lived in Michigan my whole life while much of the family is still in Iran, most of which I’ve never met. I also have my mother’s family in South Carolina and a lot of time spent there. Very few moments do the locations cross. The story of Hasan Kachal, a child that finds himself in all sort of troublesome, comical adventures, is being orated by my father. It is found in both English and Farsi and one iteration where both languages are overlaid.
Run time of the story in English and Farsi is approximately eight and a half minutes, while the combined iteration is shortened and runs approximately five and a half minutes.