Katayoun Vaziri (b. 1983 in Tehran, lives in New York), Shout For Me, 2009. Stereo, 8:40

2009 was the year of Iran’s contested Presidential elections that prompted protests both inside and outside Iran. Shout For Me depicts the first protest that occurred in front of the UN in New York, and follows not the protesters but rather the cameramen and women who film them. Many news agencies covered the event – each camera focusing on different aspects of the protest. Some journalists interviewed the protesters, others captured the chanting or snapped poignant images. Cameras, booms, cords, cases – the images showcase the technology involved in documenting the event. The viewer becomes cognizant of how an event is captured, recorded, and distributed. A coiffed and made-up announcer recites a headline with stereotypical phrasing, “Their protest is small, but their message is coming across loud and clear.” The viewer witnesses the construction of the media, as it questions the relationship between observer and observed.