Diving into the depths of the sea often symbolizes a plunge into both death and life, a concept beautifully elucidated by Pierre Lévêque in his analysis of the illustrations in Tomb of the Diver. This notion was profoundly evoked in me when I chanced upon a viral video that surfaced in 2020, depicting a young man's execution in Iran. The haunting imagery, captured in grainy detail on a mobile phone, showed the man running in slow motion before making a poignant dive into a pool.
In an attempt to preserve this heart-wrenching moment, I turned to a super 8 camera, transforming it into a tool of magnification and mourning. The camera not only served as a means to document the sequence of events but also as a poignant reminder of the life that was lost. The act of filming became a cathartic process, a way to grieve and pay tribute to the departed soul.
Three years have since passed, yet the man's name continues to echo in protests, chanted by men and women alike. His memory has become a symbol of injustice, his story a testament to the ripple effect that such events have on society. Like the waves that follow a dive, the ramifications of injustice perpetuate, affecting not just the individual but also the collective consciousness of a society. This notion is beautifully encapsulated in Niyaz Saghari's words, resonating with the imagery and symbolism of the young man's dive.