The screen of the video, Dastan Basement, Tehran, 2021
Iran's president appears to be using repeated references to new season as campaign slogan for possible successor. When millions across the world used the phrase "Arab spring" to describe pro-democracy movements in the Middle East, Iran's supreme leader, made it clear he disapproved. Instead, he referred to those events as the Islamic awakening, with the intention of keeping a political uprising from crossing the borders into the Islamic republic. But Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is increasingly using the word "spring" in what appears to be a campaign slogan for the man many believe he has chosen as his candidate in the forthcoming presidential race. 13 Mar 2013
In this video, the flickering flame of a lit candle responds to an off-screen breath synchronized with recorded speech. This breath mimics the cadence of the speech, creating the illusion that the spoken words are animating the flame itself.
The recorded voice belongs to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a former president of Iran. He repeats his iconic slogan three times: “Long live spring… long live spring… and long live spring again.” This excerpt is taken from a promotional speech, adding a poignant layer to the visual interplay between breath and flame.
Negro Sansons, a mythologist, proposes that the name “Sisyphus” derives from the continuous sound created by the repetition of “sis” and “phus” during breathing. This sound reflects the rhythm of air passing through the nose, a key element in various breathing control techniques. This cyclical pattern of inhalation and exhalation can be metaphorically linked to the eternal struggle depicted in the myth, where Sisyphus endlessly rolls a boulder uphill, only to have it roll back down. The up-and-down movement of Sisyphus and his stone serves as a vivid representation of this cycle.
