The discussion explored the role of objects in historical and revolutionary transformations, particularly examining the guillotine as a symbol of the French Revolution and its implications for modernity and violence.
Dr. Abbas Kazemi:
Walter Benjamin's concept of a Dialectic at a Standstill and a moment, a specific pause… I think the “Entertainment in Public exhibition” has created an interruption, essentially engaging in a dialectical gaze at a moment, a pause, a stillness. This is what brings different temporalities into interaction, allowing one to gain insight and vision through the intersection of times. The exhibition “Entertainment in Public” enables the audience to position themselves from different viewpoints.. Firstly, the concept of time here is not linear; it is interwoven.
Before the emergence of the guillotine, there was a pause—a gap between executions during the monarchy and before the revolutionaries adopted the guillotine as an execution device. What filled this interval, this moment of suspension? I noticed the lantern-bearing lampposts. Of course, this is a subject with much room for discussion. However, at a certain point in 1789, the lamppost or the lantern itself became a revolutionary instrument of execution.
Dr. Khadijeh Keshavarz:
Your narrative illustrates that the issues we are dealing with today were, in fact, resolved in the world a long time ago. Historically speaking, 1789 to the present is not a very long time.
Dr. Abbas Kazemi:
One interesting point that came to my mind is to discuss absence itself—the absence of something that is no longer here. The guillotine itself could be that very absence. We should talk more about this absence and this image. Here, I found a painting; so, we have an object called a lantern. The lantern itself is a central theme. Then the lantern is intertwined with light, with enlightenment. Light, in turn, is a symbol of the Enlightenment—how does it enter the moment of revolution? Light becomes an instrument, and then, after executions, disappearances, and the elimination of individuals, a great tragedy unfolds within modernity and in the modern era.
I will only pose one question since we do not have time for an extensive discussion: How can light serve both as a tool for enlightenment and the liberation of people while simultaneously functioning as a means of control and oppression? Foucault has explored this issue extensively—through the panoptic order that emerges when light infiltrates everyday life, even into the night. Social movements are rapidly suppressed; people are arrested under the label of criminals; urban poor who protest are swiftly crushed. Thus, light is both an instrument of suppression and an enabler of life—it expands life itself.
Dr. Salar Kashani:
Could modernity have ever been emancipatory without its disciplinary aspect? Would modernity, as a historical phenomenon, have even existed without this disciplinary facet? It seems that this light-and-dark, black-and-white duality of modernity has always been two sides of the same coin throughout history. It appears impossible to separate one from the other and proceed solely with its positive aspect. These are the ideas I reflected on during your exhibition, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Dr. Hamed Taheri-Kia:
Modernity has defined itself through a particular form of violence. In contrast to foucault's description of violence—where people were slaughtered before prisons were eventually built—in Caliban and the Witch, we encounter a different narrative. Foucault seems to have overlooked this aspect. When Europeans arrived in the Americas and encountered the indigenous people, they instructed them to beat their children. “Why don’t you beat your children?” they asked, believing that corporal punishment was necessary for proper upbringing. This, in essence, was an imposition of violence. In Caliban and the Witch, we see various forms of violence inflicted on so-called witches and women in different ways.
Dr. Reza Mahoozi:
A different model of enlightenment was introduced by the Germans—specifically Kant, the philosopher of German idealism—where, in contrast to guillotine violence, moral education was emphasized. The image of the French Revolution that spread to other countries was largely positive, setting aside these instances of violence.
Dr. Khadijeh Keshavarz:
Robespierre saw himself as a militant advocate of democracy, yet when he seized power, things took a different turn.
Dr. Hamed Taheri-Kia:
In Taha’s work, I perceived a particular absence—Taha’s relationship with Iranian society. I was observing his connection to the French Revolution. I thought perhaps a more metaphorical language could have been used to bring it closer to Iran’s historical context. During the Qajar era and the 1980s, we witnessed numerous public executions and massacres, especially during the Qajar period.
Dr Mohammad Fekri
Modernity in a country is impossible without fundamental and systemic reforms in the judiciary. Your exhibition effectively demonstrates how the judiciary itself has undergone transformations. How was the guillotine constructed as a judicial instrument? How did revolutionaries themselves end up at the guillotine?
Dr. Abbas Kazemi:
This discussion—what you have raised—is precisely what I initially mentioned: the idea of suspending a moment and making that moment readable. Through the guillotine, we can discuss various perspectives, whether about Iran, the West, or their interactions. One can analyze it from a judicial standpoint, a philosophical angle, or through the lens of disciplinary structures. The question is: How can we hold a moment in place? How can we use it to reflect on our present in relation to the past, or bring the past into the present—summon the moment? As Sohrab Sepehri (Iranian poet and painter) said: It is after long periods of time that a moment passes.
This sentence is fascinating—it suggests that a single moment can be extended and expanded to such an extent that it allows for extensive discussion. We can talk about Iran; the guillotine becomes a point of reference. Art’s duty is precisely this—so is that of the humanities—to summon moments in various forms.
Avesta Mahmoudvand:
Instead of focusing on existing phenomena, I personally believe we can approach the issue from another angle. If we consider its impact, how can this be transformed into another artistic effect?
Dr. Abbas Kazemi:
When entertainment in public diminishes with the arrival of the guillotine, the moment of death becomes more visible, the violence more apparent, and this raises the question: Why executions? When a democratic and peaceful revolution is possible, why should lampposts (As an execution apparatus) even exist?
Dr. Abbas Kazemi With the participation of:Khadijeh Keshavarz, Reza Mahoozi,Hamed Taheri-Kia,Avesta Mahmoudvand
