Puolitoista vuotta sitten sai alkunsa idea kivipohjaisista kengistä keskusteltuani hautakiviä ja kivitasoja valmistavan Joonas Voipion (Järvenpään kivi) kanssa. Joonas oli heti innoissaan projektista ja eilen saimme projektin vihdoin päätökseen. Ensin ajatuksenani oli suunnitella ja valmistaa jalkineet, joilla on mahdollista kävellä. Koulutusohjelmassamme (jalkinemuotoilu, Hämeen ammattikorkeakoulu) kuitenkin painotetaan niin vahvasti jalkineen toiminnallisuutta, että halusin tehdä jotain aivan päinvastaista. Silmää miellyttäviä muotoja ja jalkineelle epätavallisia materiaaleja, taidetta.
Suurta potkua projektille toi Laurent Champoussinin ja Oleg Doun taide. Inspiraation lähteenä toimi myös naisten asema Islamistisessa valtiossa. Haastattelin Suomessa asuvaa, Iranista kotoisin olevaa Leili Hafezia liittyen naisten elämään ja asemaan hänen kotimaassaan:
Are women allowed walking by themselves on the streets in
Iran?
Yes they absolutely can walk and there is no prohibition by
law or culture. There are some limitations though. In some part of the cities
it is not safe to go out alone after dark. In some regions which has high crime
rate it is not safe to walk alone any time of the day. Going out after 9 or 10
p.m is not recommended at all .Parents usually won’t let their daughters at any
age to go out. Due to unsafely, women usually use well known safe Taxies to go
to parties or coming back home during the night. Not everyone can afford taxies
so still there might be lots of women in the street in dark times with fear of harassment.
Usually women with full Hijab (chador) are much safer to walk in the dark and
they try to cover their faces with part of the Chador to avoid absorbing
attention by sick offenders. Women usually cannot ride bicycle or motorcycles
while they drive their cars so often. In Pakistan I know women can use
motorcycles. In some building complexes in cities women can ride bicycles
freely in common yards .Also these rules may not work in rich , international
regions also in some villages they may have less limitations for women. For
example in some villages in northern part of the country, women have more freedom.
They work on tea and rice farms without Hijab with folded pants showing their
legs partly. The more green and nice the weather is, the more people are
relaxed and easy and less tight on limitations. In northern part which is most
of the year like Finland ’s summer or warmer but extremely green , the society
is kind of matriarchal and from decades ago having boy friend or girlfriend has
been used .there is no force on marriage and men tend to have the least
prejudice on females compared to other part of the country . Crime rate is low
and more safety gives them chance to enjoy nice weather and green lands. I know
some Finnish women are living in this part of Iran and they enjoy Finnish
summer for almost whole year ;)
One of my blog readers replied to this question by reminding
that in recent years which I was here situation get worse for women to walk
alone in streets. There are lots of sexual harassments and most of the times
girls and women keep silence for family honour and reputation. They usually do
not raise a complaint to police and suffer hidden. Last year Iran faced a
terrible phenomenon of acid throwing on women .It happened in different cities
on stranger girls by men on motorcycle. Few cased happened years ago but this
year it becomes the hobby of sick men. These days every girl is scared to go
out.
Do they have to wear something to cover themselves in
public, such as scarf?
Yes they have to wear scarf and cover their body especially
they arms, breast and thighs .Women obey these rules more or less. Those who
don’t cover themselves perfectly should expect harassments or police arrests. We
could have some freedom while going to party if we do not step out of the car
and go straight to the party .Then no one would see our skirts or bare legs ;).
Many big police vans are around the squares, waiting to be filled with who are
badly covered themselves. The definition of badly covered is different from
time to time. Winter times in big cities having boots with tights are
considered super sexy and they may get arrested for this reason. Having nail
polish, dying hairs to very blond ( cannot remember the exact verb sorry ) ,
showing lots of hair , Heavy Arabic make ups or make up like celebrities ,
having shorts pants , wearing very tight ,colourful shining clothes could be
problematic . These rules are not so restrict in smaller cities or villages as
people usually don’t wear so strangely (in their view) due to strong culture
and tradition values. There are lots of extremely religious people in Iran who
are upset of women who don’t cover themselves perfectly and the regulation
should also support their ideas. There are lots of families who have lost their
sons in the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988) who believe that their sons devoted
themselves to protect the country and keeping the country independent so these
girls with imitating western culture and western freedom are insulting them and
ruining their sons’ blood. (I am talking from their point of view) The traditional
Iran has never been such influenced by western culture and they have been
living many generations respecting the values .So not covering body nicely
would be all signs of western culture influence and a way to absorb men’s
attention which is indeed very harmful for the society. Most of the society is
traditional and married men usually seduced by those sexy modern girls in the
street .They also make trouble for those young men who cannot marry and cannot
have girlfriend due to their culture and beliefs and generally man will get
false image of a women by these fashion models in the street. (Believe me they
wear and make up themselves very attractive and sexy I have not seen anyone in
Europe like them: D).
If a woman falls in love with someone, can she decide if
she gets married or do her parents decide/arrange the marriage?
Nowadays in most part of the country girls can decide for
their marriage. Parents usually give their advice and opinion .they may be
oppose to the marriage if find it very stupid or inappropriate choice. Some
families may still try to marry their child with their cousins or people they
know and like. Some families stop contact with their sons/daughters after they
married in spite of parent’s opposition .The relationship may become normal
shorter or longer after they see their child is happy in his/her life. The
parents can show their dissatisfaction in different ways though.
In poor rural areas still
child marriage for financial problems can be seen .Girls under age forces to
marry when the family cannot afford their expenses or addicted dad may sell the
daughter to buy drugs. In poor families many unacceptable things may happen
like any other poor families in the world. In some tribes girls may marry very
young or under age due to traditions and they are so naive that won’t have a
power of choosing someone, thus the parents may find the husband from people
around they know.
Are women allowed voting in elections?
Yes they can vote equally with men from 1963.
Are women allowed to work/ study as they want to?
Generally I can say they can work and study in their
favourite area .There are some exceptions to this .Some few fields are
allocated to men like mining and some fields are culturally preferable for men
or women . Usually women are not bus or truck driver (there are few all around
the country). There is a unwritten category of suitable jobs as there are in
other cultures. Women themselves may not tend to do some harsh physical jobs.
We can see exceptions of different women in different fields but it is not very
prevalent. Thus there is not something as limitation for women to study or work
but cultural consideration. Talking about family rules , it is mentioned in the
civil code that “husband could stop the wife from doing what is perceived as
harmful for family “ So there are lots of men who misuse this legal rule and do
not let their wife to work outside . Their justification is based on the fact
that outside home is not safe and the environment is not fine for a woman to be
there. Yes indeed the work atmosphere usually is full of insult and sexual
humiliation which is mentally disturbing ,but even in this hard situation there
are lots of successful powerful women who work and go to higher levels .
Nowadays women discuss this issue to drop this right in marriage document
before accepting marriage. Educated men disclaim this right and many others
anti women rights in marriage document and give right to the wife to decide
about the job. The unpleasant tradition is still strongly in practice in
traditional, religious, not educated families in both cities and villages.
How is the religion visible in everyday life? (Do people
pray during the day/ Do they fast? etc.)
Religion is absolutely visible in everyday life. One of my
blog readers mentioned that many people have to hide their real personality and
be another person who society accepts for their whole life. Usually less
religious people have double face –outside their home and inside -. She said
that she has to wear ,behave and show ideas like a extremist Muslim at work to
avoid different harassments and accusation while she does is not herself then .
This is very true. People have double life standards. People have to pray in
religious families and pressure is more on girls otherwise they would face
harsh reactions. Families tend to put more pressure on girls to obey Islamic
and traditional moralities as they are going to be future mums and they have
the main influence on their children (they are really the main model for child
since men usually don’t involve in child raising). In religious family they all
fast .Women should not fast during their menstrual period as they are not clean
to do such a sacred task. They also don’t pray during this time for the same
reason. You can see religion from morning till midnight in life even if you are
not Muslim. The sound of Azan (calling for pray) from Sharia mosque may come to
your ear 3 times a day (in Sunni countries it is 5 times). TV has something
about religion any time you turn it on. In some special holidays there is
nothing but religious ceremonies and mourning for death of Imams (sacred people
in Islam who has been living 1400 years ago). Even at the beginning of New Year
which is not a religious event people read some Arabic phrases. Islam has
rooted in every part of life and become inseparable part of the culture. We
unintentionally use phrases based on Islamic values even if do n’t want we
cannot find an equal to convey what we mean. Families which are not religious
,tries to keep inside home clean of these ideas and give secular thoughts to
their child but what a vain effort when they go to school and have Islamic and
Islamic based moral lessons very obligatory many hours per week. The policy is
to knit everything with Islam so even there might be some Islamic phrases at
the top or bottom of mathematic or biology books or they may teach biology in a
way to conclude the power of God or prophet.
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Suuri kiitos Joonakselle ja Leilille projektiin osallistumisesta!
Näyttelyt Tallinnassa seuraavasti:
HOP Gallery 7.-26.5. 2015
Design & Architecture Gallery 11.-26.5. 2015
