Javaad Alipoor (born September 1984) is a British-Iranian theatre-maker and writer from Bradford.[1] His work explores the interactions between technology and society, inviting audiences to engage with the kinds of technologies which shape how knowledge is created, shared and contested.[2]
Javaad Alipoor | |
|---|---|
 Alipoor at The Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh 2023 | |
| Born | September 1984 |
| Alma mater | University of Bradford |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Spouse | Natalie Diddams |
Early life
editAlipoor was born to an Iranian Shia Muslim father who fled the Shah regime and an English Catholic working class mother and grew up on a council estate in Bradford.[3] Alipoor studied Regeneration Project Management at University of Bradford and is a member of University Court there.[4] He then pursued a Masters; his thesis was about psychoanalysis and Sufism.[5]
Career
editAlipoor has worked as a social worker and as resident associate director at Sheffield theatres and creative projects manager at Royal & Derngate theatre.[6] His eponymous theatre company was established in 2017.[7]
Alipoor has won two Scotsman Fringe First Awards [8] (For 'Believers are But Brothers' 2017 and 'Rich Kids: A history of Shopping Malls in Tehran' 2019) and has been hosted at The Traverse Theatre during the Edinburgh Festivals[9][10]
Writing
edit'The Believers Are But Brothers' takes its title from a quote in the Qur’an and concerns online radicalisation and how young disaffected men access Islamic State propaganda sites and 4Chan [6][11][12]
In 'Rich Kids: A History of Shopping Malls in Tehran' Alipoor performs with Peyvand Sadeghian[13][14] using YouTube and Instagram to tell stories of how Iran's young, wealthy elite live extravagant lifestyles on social media.[15]
Alipoor's play 'Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World' [16] (not to be confused with Girard's Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World') explores the story of Iranian singer Fereydoun Farrokhzad and together with Chris Thorpe, Me-Lee Hay and Raam Emami (King Raam)) comments on the way the internet shapes knowledge and research and how colonial structures are reproduced and perpetuated online, particularly in the multiple language versions of Wikipedia. Alipoor encourages his audience to browse Wikipedia and follow links down a wiki rabbit hole.[9][8][17][18]
Personal life
editAlipoor lives in Manchester with his wife Natalie Diddams.[19] He speaks fluent Persian. In 2018, Alipoor said he is not religious, but does take part in local Shia cultural events.[3]
References
edit- ^ "Javaad Alipoor Company: the Manchester theatre group crossing borders with international stories".
- ^ "Javaad Alipoor: 'Our shows ask what the tech we use reveals about how we examine the world'". The Stage. Retrieved 2023-08-26.
- ^ a b Fiminska, Zuzanna (29 November 2018). "Iranian in England, English in Iran: Interview with Javaad Alipoor". Medium. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ "Meet the writer who will host Anita Rani's installation as Chancellor". University of Bradford. 2023-03-03. Retrieved 2023-08-26.
- ^ "19 April 2021". Artists and Climate Change. 19 April 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ a b Gardner, Lyn; @lyngardner (2017-08-15). "Javaad Alipoor: 'The response to radicalism is to shut down debate for young people'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-08-26.
- ^ "the company – Javaad Alipoor Company". Retrieved 2023-08-26.
- ^ a b "Things Hidden Since The Foundation of the World". Traverse Theatre. 2023-08-15. Retrieved 2023-08-26.
- ^ a b Love, Catherine (2022-11-04). "Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World review – a theatrical revelation". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-08-26.
- ^ "Rich Kids: A History of Shopping Malls in Tehran". Traverse Theatre. Retrieved 2023-08-26.
- ^ Scott, Joanne (2020-05-03). "Rich Kids: A History of Shopping Malls in Tehran' and The Believers Are but Brothers - digital lack and excess in a postdigital age". International Journal of Performance Arts and Digital Media. 16 (2): 134–149. doi:10.1080/14794713.2020.1761680. ISSN 1479-4713. S2CID 218951973.
- ^ "The Believers Are But Brothers". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-08-26.
- ^ Columnist, Guest (2023-08-17). "'I exist as two people': Peyvand Sadeghian lays bare the politics of identity". The Big Issue. Retrieved 2023-08-26.
- ^ "Stranded in Iran: How one refugee's experience shaped her career". euronews. 2022-06-20. Retrieved 2023-08-26.
- ^ Fisher, Mark (2019-08-02). "Rich Kids: A History of Shopping Malls in Tehran review – dazzling and discombobulating". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-08-26.
- ^ "Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World". HOME. Retrieved 2023-08-26.
- ^ Lukowski, Andrzej (2022-11-11). "Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World review: exploration of a mysterious death". Time Out London. Retrieved 2023-08-26.
- ^ Simpson, Clare (2023-08-22). "Things Hidden Since The Foundation Of The World". FringeReview. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
- ^ Pennington, Juliet (7 January 2021). "Javaad Alipoor on spicy Thai food, crying on planes, and the privilege of working in different places". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
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