3 Review(s)

Zadoc Nava is a British photographer and filmmaker, this book focuses on his most recent photographic series, Shadowlands, which documents life on the streets of Tehran. Reflecting a mood of uncertainty and melancholy, the images reveal a glimpse of ordinary life in the neighborhoods of what is remarkably turning into one of the world's most documented cities. Shadowlands is punctuated by images of the monumental, propagandist street-art and religious posters that dominate the city. The photos reveal the separate but parallel existence of men and women within Iranian society, living under the gaze of the mullahs, the tension between modernity and tradition, and an atmosphere of uncertainty and disquiet. The congested streets and cityscapes of Tehran provide the backdrop to a series of portraits that show the inhabitants immersed in their own reverie, strangely disengaged from their surroundings. Through a lyrical documentary approach, Shadowlands presents a complex, moving, and unfamiliar image of Iran, with moments of unexpected humor. The implication of narrative apparent in much of the work reflects Nava's background as a filmmaker. In addition to Nava's work in Iran, Shadowlands covers several other projects, revealing his fascination with people and culture, from the situations documented in Havana Cuba and Undercurrent in South East Asia, to his latest project A Feminine Touch, about British women boxers in the run up to the 2012 Olympics.Shadowlands, like Nava's photographs, provides an unusually honest and thought-provoking look into the reality of a city and its cultural identity. This book therefore is an essential read for anyone interested in recent developments in contemporary photography.