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Even/Odd Partners with the Kiarostami Foundation on an Ongoing Product Collection
Three products from the Even/Odd x Kiarostami Foundation collaboration. Creative studio and production company Even/Odd has partnered with the Kiarostami Foundation on a special product collection that celebrates the legendary Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami.
The collection currently features three items: a 40-page graphic novel and activity book that reimagines Kairostami’s 1987 film Where Is the Friend’s House?, a small-batch mulberry jam inspired by his 1997 film Taste of Cherry and reprints of original posters designed by the filmmaker for Friend’s House, Certified Copy (2010) and A Wedding Suit (1976). These products are the first of many that the California-based company (founded by Mohammad Gorjestani, a 25 New Faces of Film alum from 2013) and the Foundation (whose president is the late filmmaker’s son, Ahmad Kiarostami) plan on releasing through an ongoing collaboration.
These products were originally designed to accompany the opening of the retrospective exhibition Kiarostami: Beyond the Frame at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art that kicked off on October 15, 2022 and runs through April 9. The graphic novel was designed by illustrator Raphaelle Macaron, featuring both black and white and color pages as well as an original fold-out poster. Sabā Jam created the Taste of Cherry-inspired mulberry jam, with Iranian graphic designer Ghazal Foroutan contributing the hand-lettered and screen printed jam jar. Finally, the Kiarostami Collection opened their poster archive in order to reproduce prints of the aforementioned original Kiarostami designs, which also includes a poster he made for fellow Iranian filmmaker Sohrab Shahid-Saless’s 1972 film Black and White.
Commented Gorjestani in a press release:
It’s the ultimate privilege to collaborate with Ahmad Kiarostami and the Kiarostami Foundation on this special set of projects. Abbas Kiarostami was the most influential Iranian artist during his life, and he continues to be after his passing. His films have helped Iranians and outsiders alike understand the core essence of the modern Iranian identity. As someone who was born in Iran, but grew up in the United States, Kiarostami’s allegories filled the spiritual void of existing in diaspora and led me to filmmaking. His films are escapes to familiar places in other dimensions where the sensitivity of the world is so rich it has to be savored slowly with a child-like curiosity. These projects try to extrapolate that warm feeling and place products into the world that continue the legacy of the simple genius and poetry of Kiarostami’s cinematic world…. The last 6 months for Iranians have been pendulum swings between hope and sadness. Nowruz reminds us that better days are ahead and is a time to celebrate our creative traditions, art, and poetry that has guided us and preserved us generation after generation.
Ahmad Kiarostami added:
A significant part of the Kiarostami Foundation’s mission is to introduce Abbas Kiarostami’s work to new audiences and new generations. Projects like this help fulfill this mission and keep the legacy of Abbas Kiarostami vibrant for years to come. Working with Mohammad and Even/Odd was a pleasure. The thoughtfulness and understanding of what my father’s work represents, matched with their creative ideas, helped create products I’m proud of, and excited for people to experience them.
To learn more and purchase these products, visit Even/Odd’s online shop.
