Book Reading in Sanandaj Park
San-Art Group - a collective of independent artists including Shilan Borhani, Arash Zaman, and Shima Farhadi
- Period
- May–July 2016 (Ordibehesht–Tir 1395), 10 sessions, every Sunday evening
- Location
- Sanandaj, IT Park
- Thematic Tags
- Public & Urban SpaceInterventionHeritage & Place
Project Overview
Book Reading was a participatory experience in an urban public space, created with the aim of establishing a simple collective setting for reading. Through a public call, the project invited citizens to bring a book with them on Sunday evenings and read in silence in the park for two hours. There was no specific theme, pre-determined book, or content guidance, and the choice of book was entirely up to each individual. From the very first session, a significant number of citizens participated in the project, and the park's atmosphere gradually transformed into a space distinct from its everyday function - a space filled with silence, focus, and shared experience. As the sessions continued, the presence of families and children became more prominent, and the project evolved from a simple artistic act into a social and cultural experience where the boundaries between artist, audience, and performance disappeared.
Context & Site
The project was carried out in a public urban space. The choice of IT Park in Sanandaj was deliberate and based on the specific context of this area. The Sanandaj Municipality had inaugurated a building in this park as a public library in 2015, but it was never put into operation and remained unused/abandoned. Alongside this issue, official statistics showing an average per capita reading time of 12 to 15 minutes per day in Iran, coupled with the limited audience reach of formal cultural spaces, led the group to organize a cultural intervention in a popular, accessible, and non-elitist space. The park, being a free, equal, and everyday environment, allowed for the presence of various social classes and the formation of collective participation.
Participation & Process
Participation in the Book Reading project was designed around a simple, everyday action: reading. By bringing a book and sitting in the park, each participant simultaneously assumed multiple roles: audience, performer, and part of the artwork. The participants included various groups of Sanandaj citizens, such as families, youth, children, and the passersby in the park. There was no distinction between the artist and the audience. The organizers were neither acting as content guides nor had a specific role distinct from anyone else in the project. Everyone participated equally in the experience. The simultaneous presence of people in silence and their focus became the performance itself. Sessions were held regularly every Sunday evening and gradually became a sort of urban habit. Some participants attended the sessions continuously, and the project gained meaning through repetition, rhythm, and consistency. Participation was defined not through dialogue or discussion, but through simultaneity, silence, and physical presence.
Motivations & Questions
The primary motivation for the project stemmed from the low per capita reading rate in Iran. The organizers sought to create a simple yet effective intervention that could: strengthen the reading culture, bring cultural activities back to public spaces, and create shared moments of focus, tranquility, and collective experience. The project raised the question of whether it is possible to create a cultural and collective experience without complex planning, official institutions, or content guidance, simply by setting up a simple situation. It also asked what new qualities reading acquires when it shifts from a solitary activity to a collective action.
Conditions & Negotiations
The project faced institutional and security limitations. After a few sessions, the atmosphere in the park gradually became under surveillance of security agents, and on the last Sunday of July, police officers asked people not to gather again. This intervention prevented the continuation of the sessions in the park. The group's strategy for continuing the project was to emphasize silence, simplicity, and the avoidance of any slogans or symbols that might make the project appear political. Despite this, the restrictions eliminated the possibility of continuing the project in the park. Later, municipal authorities suggested that the abandoned building in the park be turned into a library, but the group declined to enter into this partnership in order to maintain the project's independence and avoid reliance on institutions.
Documentation
Collaborators & Support
Collaborators / Participating Institutions: The project was executed independently and without any institutional collaboration.
Financial Sponsors: The project was held without financial support and relied on voluntary participation.
Re-reading
About the Artist
San-Art is a collective of independent artists, including Shilan Borhani, Arash Zaman, and Shima Farhadi, whose activities are shaped in the fields of participatory art, social art, and intervention in public space. This group focuses on collective experiences and creating shared moments between the artists and the audience. The Book Reading project was one of the first public experiences of this approach.
Website/Telegram: shilanborhani.com
This entry was prepared based on the artist's account and accompanying project materials.