Concrete, inherent to modernist architecture, possesses agency. Its ambivalent properties have diverse material effects on the spectator. Drawing on Ingold’s ‘anthropology of materials’, the... Show moreConcrete, inherent to modernist architecture, possesses agency. Its ambivalent properties have diverse material effects on the spectator. Drawing on Ingold’s ‘anthropology of materials’, the framework of the social life of materials allows to interpret sociocultural implications of material manifestation. Within the underdeveloped domain of autocratic modernist architecture, this discussion of the case of the Shayad/ Azadi Tower in Tehran, Iran aims to illustrate how the material properties of concrete produce ambiguous experiences which are reflected in the design-strategies of the monument. The materiality of the Shahyad monument emits experiences of modernity and ancientness at the same time, which aligns with the design-strategy and ideology of the Pahlavi regime. Evoking imperial continuity, the Shah rooted his modern vision of Iran’s future national identity in the permanence of Persian civilization. Yet, the highly malleable properties and agency of concrete have made the monument an active locus of power which continues to shape Iranian society after the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Show less
