Virtual Empowerment
Virtual Empowerment is an immersive experience and visual narrative in the form of sociopolitical fiction. The project is designed to inhabit both virtual and physical spaces, using virtual reality technologies to provide an immersive interactive experience for the user.
This project critiques the patriarchal conditions of contemporary Iran by contrasting them with a narrative of powerful female figures from Persian mythology. The goal is to reflect these contemporary problems by criticizing the obstacles and limitations women in Iran struggle with on a daily basis, and present an alternative, even fantastical, representation of true stories.
The physical installation is composed of a series of projected looping images, which show female figures in various states of immobilization and freedom from physical constraint (ropes). In addition, there is a virtual installation displayed on VR glasses, which presents several famous ancient Persian goddesses exhibiting magical powers, which they then share with the player through a virtual handshake.
This work approaches issues of oppression, representation, and embodiment from several perspectives, including the cultural evolution of women and women’s rights, the role of feminism as a social movement, the impact of feminism upon feminist artists and feminist art, as well as the bodily relationship of the individual user to an immersive interactive environment.
This work is grounded in the idea that women can regain power and be inspired by ancient myths and goddesses that precede and exceed the patriarchal mindset of contemporary Iranian society. We have always had myths about powerful and strong men. In Persian mythology, women also have been known as healers and heroic forces – and this work celebrates these narratives in solidarity with the rising feminist movements in Iran that address the subjugation and persecution of women who seek to exercise their inalienable rights to exist and live as they please.
