Tehran: A Gateway Wandering Beyond by Khamoosh

Tehran: A Gateway Wandering Beyond

Podcast

Episode 22 of the TIMEZONES podcast series, initiated and produced by Norient, comes from Tehran and is an introspection on where an artist or artistic journey finds its existence – where it starts and ends, how it emerges, unfolds, or even falls into silence. Produced by the Khamoosh collective and participatory research project, this episode features artists of diverse communities who reflect on their ways of living and on their practice.

Tehran is at the crossroads for the stories told in this episode – whether as a place to return to or escape from. Members of Khamoosh reflect on the question: who is an artist? They do so through letters, conversations, interviews, and by holding space for one another. Sonic elements emerge from a collective effort, drawing from the group’s rich sonic archive.

Tune in now on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or other platforms!

Full English transcript of episode 22

Credits

A podcast by Khamoosh

Participating members: Golnoosh Heshmati, Khorshid Parsi, Maryam Fazeli, Maryam Ramezankhani, pantea, Ramin Mahmoudi, Saghar Afzalnia

Produced by Norient

Featuring: Fatemeh, Sadra Amouei, Phaaroos, Shirine Moasser, Khamoosh

Complete list of field recordings used in the episode

Artistic Editor: Abhishek Mathur
Project Management: Abhishek Mathur
Outreach/Press: Janina Neustupny
Video Trailer: Karrl
Additional Images: Amirhossein Heshmati
Jingle Voiceover: Nana Akosua Hanson
Jingle Mix: Daniel Jakob
Mastering: Adi Flück, Centraldubs
Artwork: Šejma Fere

Listen to the full series on

→ Listen to further TIMEZONES episodes

Featured Artists

Khamoosh is a participatory artistic research project that mediates conservation and restoration by exploring the sonic heritage of Iran through recorded sounds of everyday life; sounds less heard or even silenced. Their methodology is guided by an ongoing process of learning by doing, community-based participation, collective artistic practice, and research as a network. They come together in the shared intimacy of sound through the tools of technology and time. Hearing the relationship between sound and language is an ongoing process formed by both well-known and unknown contributors as well as by non-humans, broadening the listening sphere of their extended collective. Their combined practices include music, anthropology, linguistics, and audiovisual design. Follow them on Instagram.

Fatemeh, born in 1957, is a calligrapher based in Tehran who prefers to remain anonymous. She studied medical laboratory at Tehran University and worked as a medical laboratory technician for 37 years. After retiring, she started calligraphy.

Phaaroos is an artist who fluidly navigates between the north and south of Iran. Sometimes, he creates sculptures, and other times, he writes poetry.

Sadra Amouei is a performer and actor based in Babolsar and Tehran. He holds a bachelor's degree in acting and directing from Bahonar University of Kerman and is currently pursuing a master's degree in acting at the University of Art in Tehran. Follow him on Instagram.

Shirine Moasser, born 1963, is a painter and textile designer based in Tehran. She studied Persian miniature painting under Abbas Moayyeri's supervision and pursued painting at Beaux-Arts de Paris and textile design at École Nationale Supérieure de Création Industrielle. Follow her on Instagram.

Images of Tehran and surrounding regions by Amirhossein Heshmati

Amirhossein Heshmati, born in Tehran in 1961, is a photographer and electrical engineer. He captures both realistic and abstract elements of nature, inspired by his mountaineering in the Alborz Mountains, while also documenting Iran's diverse urban and natural landscapes. Follow him on Instagram.

Get more insights on Iran and the Iranian Diaspora on Norient.

Online contributions: read, listen, and watch more on the Norient digital archive.

Klangteppich Magazin a printed edition of the ongoing collaboration with Berlin-based Klangteppich festival and archive of lively perspectives on contemporary music-making in Iran and the Iranian diaspora.

Trailer

by Karrl

The TIMEZONES podcast series plunges into the world of artists and their practices, asking: what does living and working in culture and the arts involve in different countries, cities, and contexts today? The artists’ thoughts on their moods, their social, political, and intellectual realities and their philosophies (of life) have been worked up into experimental audio collages.

The podcasts run the gamut of formats and content, from straight journalism to experimental and documentary approaches, ethnography and fiction, sound art, and improvisation. The Timezones series endeavors to create new artistic forms of storytelling, listening and exchange across the boundaries of geography, time zones, genres, and practices.

Biography

Khamoosh is a participatory artistic research project that mediates conservation and restoration by exploring the sonic heritage of Iran through recorded sounds of everyday life; sounds less heard or even silenced. Their methodology is guided by an ongoing process of learning by doing, community-based participation, collective artistic practice, and research as a network. They come together in the shared intimacy of sound through the tools of technology and time.

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Tehran: A Gateway Wandering Beyond

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«TIMEZONES» – Episode 22. Tehran is at the crossroads for the stories told in this episode – whether as a place to return to or escape from. Members of the Khamoosh collective reflect on the question of where an artist or artistic journey finds its existence – where it starts and ends, how it emerges, unfolds, or even falls into silence.

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Published on July 28, 2025

Last updated on July 31, 2025

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Resonating Spaces: Mapping Paris Through GRM’s Lens by Aho Ssan

Resonating Spaces: Mapping Paris Through GRM’s Lens

Podcast

by Aho Ssan

Episode 21 of the TIMEZONES podcast series, initiated and produced by Norient, takes you on a deep dive into the sonic landscapes of Paris through the lens of the legendary Groupe de Recherche Musicale (GRM). Electroacoustic musician Aho Ssan reflects on the enduring legacy of the institute through his own personal story and the experiences of three artists.

In conversation with the current director of GRM François Bonnet and sound artists Jessica Ekomane and KMRU, Aho Ssan explores the evolving legacy of GRM and its impact on the contemporary art of sound. Bonnet shares insights into the institution’s enduring relevance, while Ekomane and KMRU bring their unique perspectives on how GRM has influenced their creative processes. This podcast offers an intimate look at how GRM’s pioneering work continues to echo through Paris’ vibrant artistic scenes, pushing the boundaries of what sound can express.

Credits

A podcast by Aho Ssan

Produced by Norient

Featuring: François Bonnet, Jessica Ekomane, KMRU

Artistic Editor: Abhishek Mathur
Project Management: Abhishek Mathur
Outreach/Press: Janina Neustupny
Video Trailer: Karrl
Jingle Voiceover: Nana Akosua Hanson
Jingle Mix: Daniel Jakob
Mastering: Adi Flück, Centraldubs
Artwork: Šejma Fere

Listen on

→ Listen to further TIMEZONES episodes

Featured Artists

François J. Bonnet is a Franco-Swiss composer and electroacoustic musician based in Paris. He is the director of INA GRM (Institut national de l’audiovisuel / Groupe de Recherches Musicales – the latter being one of the birthplaces of electroacoustic experimentation in the late 1950s). He is also a writer, and a member of the collective Ende Wieder. As a musician, Bonnet often works under the project name Kassel Jaeger. Kassel Jaeger’s works are a complex balance between concrète experimentalism, ambient noise, and electroacoustic improv. He has released several well-received albums on various labels including the boutique CD imprint Unfathomless, the Italian experimental label Senufo Editions as well as Editions Mego where his fifth album, Deltas, was released on vinyl. Follow him on Instagram.

Jessica Ekomane is a French-born and Berlin-based electronic musician and sound artist. In her live performances and installations sound acts as a transformative element for the space and the audience. Her quadraphonic performances seek a physical affect through the interplay of psychoacoustics, rhythmic structures and melody. Her work investigates themes from individual perception and collective dynamics, and societal listening expectations. Following her debut album Multivocal (2019), she released Manifolds in 2024, a fully computer-generated work that explores the multiple possibilities of polyphonic writing. Jessica Ekomane has been chosen composer for the German pavilion of the Venice Biennale 2019, artist on the SHAPE 2019 roster and hosts the monthly radio show Open Sources on Cashmere Radio that connects folk and traditional music with contemporary musical experiments. Follow her on Instagram.

Joseph Kamaru aka KMRU is a sound artist and experimental ambient musician raised in Nairobi, Kenya and currently based in Berlin where he is a Master’s student in Sound Studies and Sonic Arts at the Universität der Künste. His works deal with discourses of field recording, improvisation, noise, ambient, machine learning, radio art and expansive hypnotic drones. He has earned international acclaim from his performances in far-flung locales as well as his ambient recordings, including the 2020 album Peel released on Editions Mego. Follow him on Instagram.

Tracks

Listen to a selection of experimental music tracks by artists who worked at the GRM studios curated by TIMEZONES producer Aho Ssan.

→ Kassel Jaeger «Meith»
→ Jessica Ekomane «Manifolds»
→ KMRU «Klang»
→ Tomoko Suavage «In the Liquid Amber Within the Ivory Porcelain»
→ Iannis Xenakis «Orient-Occident»
→ Pierre Henry «Mer Intérieure»
→ Michèle Bokanowski «Rhapsodia»
→ Éliane Radigue «L'Île re-sonante»
→ Beatriz Ferreyra «Demures aquatique»
→ Christian Zanési «Stop! l'horizon»
→ Lucy Railton «Forma»
→ Félicia Atkinson «Des Pierres»
→ Jim O'Rourke «Shutting Down Here»
→ Kali Malone «Living Torch I»
→ 9T Antipose «Dose I (Danse Macabre)»

Trailer

by Karrl

The TIMEZONES podcast series plunges into the world of artists and their practices, asking: what does living and working in culture and the arts involve in different countries, cities, and contexts today? The artists’ thoughts on their moods, their social, political, and intellectual realities and their philosophies (of life) have been worked up into experimental audio collages.

The podcasts run the gamut of formats and content, from straight journalism to experimental and documentary approaches, ethnography and fiction, sound art, and improvisation. The TIMEZONES series endeavours to create new artistic forms of storytelling, listening and exchange across the boundaries of geography, time zones, genres, and practices.