Turbulent.

Turbulent, made by Shirin Neshat in 1998, consists of two black-and-white videos, which were shown on opposite walls during its exhibition (Jacobson). In one video, a male performer sings a Persian love song with his back to the audience, making it look as if he were singing to the veiled female performer in the other video. Once his performance ends, he ignores his audience and directs his attention to the female performer who begins singing in the same auditorium but with no audience. Instead of singing lyrics, she sings powerful melodies that represent loss and emptiness with each note. Shirin made this film in order to show the inequality between genders in Iran. It reveals how Iranian women are trapped and are prevented from expressing themselves artistically due to the Shiite Muslim laws in Iran. She is able to show the isolation that the women of Iran are forced to face everyday in their own country. There is a clear distinction between the rights of an Iranian man and woman, and she clearly expresses this by making the woman sing lamented cries, as she is not allowed to perform with real lyrics or even perform at all. This film expresses Shirin’s sadness for the women of her country who are forced to suppress their thoughts and ideas. Shirin’s art and projects makes her audience aware that not all individuals have the same freedom seen in the West.