Architect and visual artist Mohammad Hassan Forouzanfar has been conceptually combining contemporary landmarks with traditional Iranian houses, palaces and monuments in a photo-series titled “Retrofuturism“. In his latest exploration, Peace, the Persian architect looks to Iran’s Persepolis cultural site, the former capital of the Achaemenid Empire.

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Built on an immense half-artificial, half-natural terrace, the Persepolis palace complex was inspired by Mesopotamian models. As Forouzanfar explains, historical layers accumulate and condense over time. “There is always a trace of the previous layers and you have to go deeper to find it. Persepolis is one of the most important and tragic historical monuments of Iran, a World Heritage Site. In this project, various models of (art installations) have been digitally placed in Persepolis’ spaces to serve as a reminder of those historical layers and point to the Palimpsest concept. Unlike the architecture of Persepolis, these artistic layouts are transparent and simple. The plan ahead is to form a contrast between the ancient Persepolis geometry and modern minimal forms; with the least interference and the least occupation.”