The Study of the Urban Elements of the 80s and 90s of Tehran from the Visual Reading (Morphology) Point of View, Function and Application and its Relationship with the Components of Islamic Art

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 M.A in Islamic Art, Faculty of Art, Soore University, Tehran, Iran (Corresponding Author).

2 Assistant Professor of Handicrafts and Islamic Art Department, Faculty of Art, Soore University, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Problem
Urban space is part of the open and public spaces of cities, which are considered as the crystallization of the nature of collective life; which means a place that citizens do exist on. The urban space is the scene where the story of collective life unfolds; it is a space that allows all people to access it and operate in it. In fact, public open spaces provide the possibility of motivation and free choice of behaviors, movements and visual exploration for a significant number of city people. In other words, it is a flexible space that easily adapts to a variety of behaviors and provides a neutral but stimulating environment for spontaneous actions. Also, the street in today's sense (in which urban sculptures play a decisive role) is considered as an urban spatial concept and a carrier for socio-spatial processes. Meanwhile, urban sculptures can be beneficial in helping people achieve peace and better visual ability and prevent visual chaos. In terms of the number of their audience, urban sculptures are very different from sculptures that are considered for ateliers and museums and have a small specific audience; because this type of sculpture is an art created for the public space; therefore, it should be in such a way that from the people who are its main audience; be understandable and be able to convey its message and meaning easily to its audience. Installing statues in public spaces can strengthen the formation of the mental image in citizens, so that when hearing the name of the desired place, the statue and its meaning are immediately associated in the mind. To get into the subject, it is good to know that in the contemporary period, the use of urban sculptures is emphasized and dominates the meaning of the living space of the city dwellers. In the meantime, the cities of Iran are also having a position and as a result of the arrival of modernism in Iran, since the last forties of the last century, they gradually find their way into this area. One of the most important cities, Tehran is known as the capital of the country, which has experienced many traditional and avant-garde events, and due to the arrival of urban planning and new architecture, the definition of the street and square has been inevitable.
The first appearance of the urban volume in the squares of Tehran and the attempt to install elements and urban volume according to the western models goes back to the Qajar period, which in later periods became a tradition in the decoration of the squares. During the different periods of the modern history of Tehran, the volumes and urban sculptures of the squares have always had the characteristics that discovering what and why they are present in the urban space can help the aesthetic reading of the works..
The main goal of the current research is to investigate the effects and emergence of Islamic elements in the urban elements of the 80s and 90s of Tehran. This research has been done through the content classification of Tehran city sculptures, visual reading of selected works from any style (or genre) and analysis of the function and application of the sculpture in Tehran city space (80s and 90s) according to the components of Islamic art.
Research Questions

What are the sculptures of Tehran in the 80s and 90s from the content classification point of view with emphasis on Islamic elements?
How was the visual reading of selected works from each type of sculptures in Tehran in the 80s and 90s?
What is the function of the sculpture in the space of Tehran city according to the components of Islamic art?

Research Method
This research deals with historical study to understand how the sculptures of Tehran are, to study and describe their characteristics and attributes from the perspective of Islamic components and examine the relationship between variables and effective factors (qualitative-descriptive research). Therefore, instead of just paying attention to the reality of the statue, the concepts hidden in them as well as its peripheral effects on the audience and the city are taken into consideration and how it is analyzed. Therefore, with a systemic and holistic look at the phenomenon of urban sculpture while understanding the changes of urban sculpture in Tehran during the recent decades (80s and 90s), we are trying to create new concepts in the data by paying attention to the Islamic components (applied research). The statistical population in this research includes the sculptures and urban elements of Tehran during the 80s and 90s (219 sculptures introduced by the Tehran Municipality Beautification Organization: Tehran Sculptures Book). The number of samples in the current research is 20 samples (10 samples are selected for each decade based on classes). The sampling method was also a selective method.
Conclusion
Examining the sculptures of the 80s and 90s of Tehran based on 5 selected components in the research model indicates that most of the sculptures use the history and geography of Iran (9 sculptures from the 80s and 7 sculptures from the 90s) and have been formed based on the beliefs of the creator (Muslim artist : all the sculptures of the 80s and 90s). About 50% of the works have the theme of monotheism and sacred art (6 sculptures from the 80s and 5 sculptures from the 90s). 50% of the works have used Iranian-Islamic art and knowledge and geometric motifs to design their works. And finally, 70% of the works of the 80s (7 sculptures) and 60% (6 sculptures) of the works of the 90s have used language, poetry and literature.
The results of the investigation of the identified sculptures show that in the 80s, about 68.2% of the sculptures had a figurative form, and in this category, human-real figurative sculptures and human-imaginary figurative sculptures accounted for 50.5% of the share. Also, in this decade, 31.8% of the sculptures have a non-figurative form, and in the latter category, non-figurative-geometric sculptures have the largest share of the form of the sculptures with a 26% share.
In the 90s, most of the sculptures were in the category of figurative sculptures (77.8% share), and in this category, human-imaginary figurative sculptures (33.3% share) and non-human-animal figurative sculptures (25.9% share) had the largest share among the being made sculptures. In this decade, 22.2% of the sculptures were in the non-figurative category, and in this category, the largest share belongs to the non-figurative-geometric sculptures with a share of 18.5%.
The main functions of these urban sculptures include raising the level of society's awareness (transmitting cultural and religious concepts and values), creating visual beauty, giving identity to a place, inducing a sense of place, associating special events, retelling culture and showing religious affiliations. Its value is strengthening and intensifying the centrality of the square, giving meaning to the naming of the square or place, creating an urban sign and symbol and creating a sense of belonging and peace.
Finally, it can be said that the harmony of the visual nature and content of the works (attention to social values, religious rituals, public beliefs, and the functions of urban volumetric elements) in the creation of urban sculptures can cause sufficient attention of the audience. visual and environmental beautification and improve the creation of future works. Sculptor's attempt is to distinguish the environment, and his field of action is the city, and the result of his work is visual improvement and awareness, which is created through adding creative elements and expressing cultural and religious concepts and values. Therefore, by prioritizing the stated goals, it is possible to help reduce the gap between the desired space and the existing space in volumetric works.
 
 

Keywords


 
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