mountains overtake tehran in manuel alvarez diestro's latest photographic essay

manuel alvarez diestro‘s latest photographic work is a personal tribute to iranian film, ‘taste of cherry’. the photos, which display glorious tones of earthy brown, switch up the status quo by putting tehran in the background and bringing the alborz mountain range into the foreground, making the rocky landscape the protagonist of the series. 

images by manuel alvarez diestro

with a population of 15 million people, the metropolis of tehran is the most populous city in both iran and western asia. inspired by the 1997 drama directed by abbas kiarostami, and in particular, the main character’s connection to the land, alvarez diestro climbs the mountains that border the northern, and wealthiest, part of tehran. from this vantage point, the spanish photographer creates a visual narrative of the mountains interacting with the city below. 

the composition of the images also make reference to the landscapes of renaissance painter joachim patinir. similar to patinir, there are no characters except in one image where someone appears to be sleeping. there’s also a biblical feel to the imagery where nature – the rocks – poses a mortal threat as it appears to be overwhelming the people in the city below. 

project info:

name: dreaming tehran

photography: manuel alvarez diestro

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lynne myers | designboom