The Work-Stay: Rome

Iman Jesmi Captures Cities as Sonic and Olfactory Scapes

Iranian composer and sound artist Iman Jesmi and his mentor Emeka Ogboh traveled to Rome in early March, where they were hosted for a Work-Stay at the MAXXI Museum.

In his project, Jesmi delves into the correlation between sounds and smells in European cities, and how they have shifted through immigration. During his time in Rome, Jesmi conducted a series of interviews with members of local immigrant communities and recorded the hustle and bustle of the food markets in the Italian capital.

At the Forecast Festival, Sensory Souvenir will be presented as a multimedia installation with a durational live performance. In a room furnished with standard objects that symbolize the global flow of goods, performers who have migrated to Germany navigate the familiar and the foreign.

Camera: Francesco Saverio Russomanno, Editing: Hannah Dörr, Sound Mix: Simon Peter. ©Forecast 2022

The work-stay took place in collaboration with MAXXI National Museum of 21st Century Art and with the kind support of Deutsche Akademie Rom Villa Massimo.