Investigation of the non-place concept in Iranian photography with a look at the works of Mohammad Ghazali and Mehran Mohajer

Non-place is a concept first introduced in 1992 by the French anthropologist Marc Augé. The present research seeks to investigate this concept in contemporary Iranian photography, using Augé’s theories. In this process, first, the non-place and factors of its origin are described and then the characteristics of the supermodernism era are discussed, by which it is explained how the non-place has been created in this age. In the following, the relationship between non-place and photography has been discussed and attempts have been made to investigate how non-place appeared after the modernism of photography in the works of movements such as modern geography. In addition, the works of two contemporary Iranian photographers, Mohammad Ghazali and Mehran Mohajer, have been studied and the way the concept of non-place is illustrated in the works of these photographers has been sought as well.

The aim of the present study is to understand the concept of non-place using Augé’s theories in the works of two contemporary Iranian photographers, Mohammad Ghazali and Mehran Mohajer.

The required information has been collected via the library resources and presented in a descriptive-analytical manner.

The representation methods of Mohajer and Ghazali indicate the non-place components and the space in their works reveals the geographical, anthropological and sociological relations. In order to represent the lack of identity, history and relationship in the non-place, the two photographers took measures such as temporary exposure through snapshots and happening photography, representing the distortion of collective identity in relation to the identity-making factor, replacing the relationship between an individual and object instead of people with each other and generalizing the creation of the work toward extremism in the individual authorities. In addition, it was found that by depicting the distorted details hidden in the general structure of the monument from the place, compared to the present, makes non-place.