Self preservation is perhaps the most collective primal instinct since it is the way to assure further sustenance; the deep need to continue existence is so strong that it should be no surprise why there is perhaps no better way to imprison a man’s soul than, either with a threat to parish or a promise of security.
Miss butterfly is the story of a rude awakening, the disconcerting realization that a social system which is the only means of justifying security, purpose, and to a degree identity for its individuals has collapsed, no longer upholding any validity or justice and consequently diminishing all optimism. Such severe apprehension creates degradation and fear which would naturally lead to uncertainty and hopelessness since it is hard to plan or even imagine a future under despotism. Hope is perhaps one of the most collective primal psychic forces that self preservation greatly depends on both for sustenance and further growth; so it is and may always remain a mystery whether or not anything would have ever evolved if void of all hope.
Miss Butterfly is the painful struggle to keep hope alive by any means possible, either by enduring and fighting the oppressive condition despite all the existing risks and dangers, or by letting go of one’s home and loved ones in search of a promise land which could provide or at least create a notion of making available the very basic necessities such as security, and hope for the future.
Q&A with Shadi Ghadirian
Photography is…
For me is a way to tell my stories. I prefer to tell my stories with images.
Who left the biggest impression on you?
Two Iranian Photographers who were my teachers: Bahman Jalali and Kaveh Golestan
Tell us a little about yourself
I am a photographer and a mother! these are just two things which I know how should do!
Shadi Ghadirian (www.shadighadirian.com) Born in 1974 in Tehran. She is a photographer who is still living and working in Iran. She studied photography at Azad University in Tehran. Working for the Museum of Photography (Akskhaneh Shahr), she’s also the photo Editor of the Iran Site, “Women In” and the manager of the first Iranian specialized photography site www.fanoosphoto.com.
