Iran artist puts spotlight on water shortage through music

No more than a hundred people sat down in the darkened cavern in the northwest Iranian city of Qazvin, while listening to the tune played by electronic musician, Saba Alizadeh, who came up with the idea to highlight the ongoing water shortage in Iran.
It added that by 2020, up to 80 percent of Iran’s more than 80 million people could face water scarcity.
‘Elegy for water’ So far, Alizadeh has performed his show, ‘Elegy for Water’ at reservoirs in the cities of Qazvin, Kerman and Shiraz.
The 35-year-old musician plans to do more events in Kashan, Yazd and Isfahan, cities that in recent years have faced water shortages.
Lack of awareness about the issue has further added to the problem.
Alizadeh came up with the idea of the musical piece in 2012, when he started to study music in California Institute for Arts, after he finished his bachelor’s degree in photography in Iran.
The rattling of the chains is then processed by a computer to become a sound that is reminiscent of that of flowing water.
‘Nailed to my chair’ The performance includes visuals created by artist Siavash Naghshbandi, who collaborated on the project.
The images were an artistic perception of the reflections of water.
And that’s the noblest thing you can say about art."

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