LOS ANGELES, CA.- The Los Angeles County Museum of Art announced a new podcast inspired by the exhibition In the Fields of Empty Days: The Intersection of Past and Present in Iranian Art (May 6–September 9, 2018). Titled Time & Again, the podcast considers Iran’s potent history through the epic poem Shahnama, which tells tales of warriors and kings and of love and betrayals. The podcast explores this text from the viewpoint of artists and scholars who are inspired by this thousand-year poem and considers how a work of art is the bedrock of Iranian society.

Time & Again is hosted by Iranian-American actor and comedian Maz Jobrani and curator of Islamic art and department head of Art of the Middle East at LACMA, Linda Komaroff, and features interviews with artists, academics, curators, and filmmakers over the course of four thematic episodes.

Episode 1: Poetry on the Tip of the Tongue
Though Iran is often in the news, for most Americans it is little understood. In this first episode, a group of experts on Iranian culture—academics, curators, filmmakers, and artists—opens a door into Iran. Not surprisingly they each ended up focusing on poetry.

Contributors:

• Scholar and poet Persis Karim
• Filmmaker Anahita Ghazvinizadeh

Music:

• Theme music by Axiom of Choice
• Selections from the Shahnama read by Gordafarid, the first female naqqal or Iranian epic storyteller

Episode 2: An Epic Poem
No matter what gender, generation, class, religion, or political inclination, every Iranian knows about the epic poem, the Shahnama or Book of Kings. This episode explores the Shahnama through the perspective of artists and scholars who are inspired by it and appreciate how such a literary masterpiece has remained relevant for over a thousand years.

Contributors:

• Curator Massumeh Farhad
• Professor Sheila Blair
• Artist Shirin Neshat
• Artist Nicky Nodioumi

Music:

• Theme music by Axiom of Choice
• Selections from the Shahnama read by Gordafarid, the first female naqqal or Iranian epic storyteller

Episode 3: We Can Be Heroes
In the Shahnama, readers are introduced to a flawed but endearing hero named Rostam. This episode discusses how heroes like Rostam represent a source of pride as well as a jumping-off point for critique.

Contributors:

• Artist Siamak Filizadeh
• Artist Nicky Nodioumi
• Author and media host Homa Sarshar
• Curator Massumeh Farhad

Music:

• Theme music by Axiom of Choice

Epissode 4: The Past is Present, The Present is Past
The series closes with reference to some of the works of art that inspired the podcast. This episode considers how Iranian artists use the past as a metaphor for the present day. Maz and Linda discuss how the Shahnama appears throughout In the Fields of Empty Days: The Intersection of Past and Present in Iranian Art and how Iranian artists draw upon this historic text as a way to make sense of the present.

Contributors:

• Artist Siamak Filizadeh
• Artist Nicky Nodioumi
• Artist Shirin Neshat

Music

• Theme music by Axiom of Choice