A Corner of Home Parisa Aminolahi
A CORNER OF HOME
Parisa Aminolahi
In the days that have passed and the days that are to come, we'll all be spending more time indoors. A Corner of Home collects photographic studies and new works made by artists in their immediate environments; small snapshots of the impulse to create.
Edited by Trine Stephensen and Joanna Cresswell
1. Where are you living at the moment and how has that environment shaped you creatively? Can you tell us about a favourite detail of this place and why?
Parisa Aminolahi: I live in Amsterdam with my husband and two daughters. Before this surreal situation, I used to be a full -time mother and a freelance artist working from home, so actually this isolation and quarantine is not a big change for me, except that nowadays I need to be prepared for my kids 24/7 while schools are closed and I have no free time to work on my projects like before. I have to stay positive all the time to support my kids to carry on; not leaving the house, staying inside. Everything about this situation has made me see my family and our home from a different point of view, even the view from our window has changed for me, it seems more lively and dynamic. I feel some kind of appreciation for the present time, more inspired and productive. I look out the window more often to check if there are people walking outside, cherishing the view of the Amstelkanaal. This, I guess, is the most uplifting part of our home, a beautiful view which helps us carry on through these hard times.
2. How have you looked at the materials of home differently in the past weeks? Are there parts of it that have revealed themselves to you in new ways?
PA: I guess instead of the material, my family is the centre of my attention now. Staying in quarantine, seeing them more than ever and exploring our relationship is a fresh sentiment. This is heightened by the thought of losing loved ones during this difficult time.
3. Tell us about how you’ve been using photography lately? What are you making or putting in front of the lens?
PA: I used to work with analogue cameras, but I stopped since the beginning of the current quarantine due to different reasons. Now I use my mobile. I made a short film with my mobile of my kids in our first week of isolation, and now I keep taking pictures of different moments around the house. 24 hours feel longer. Days are becoming repetitive and boring but I have this feeling that every second of an hour has a hidden unique moment which has never been experienced before like now (because of this surreal situation) and by capturing these moments, I enjoy playing with this stubborn time.
