Home Pop Culture Taxi Driver. An exploration of a ‘transient’ class.

Taxi Driver. An exploration of a ‘transient’ class.

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Not ‘fashionable’, hip, modern or cool, these agents of transport, safety and speed remain underrepresented. Yellow cabs illustrate New York City, in films-photos and songs. They tipify efficiency, chaos and escape, but not the ‘dream’ so well endorsed by a well-profiting fashion industry. They only exist to carry the dream faster and faster to their final destination, but are never the subject of the dream it self…

Artfully depicting the ethnic face of one of 4,000 drivers Baradaran interviewed, in the past six months, from behind a video lens’ record of images reflected by the rear view mirror, passengers paused- reflected- and introspected.

Having drawn attention to the third world—Amir’s project nonchalantly captures angles by which to understand the taxi driver. A slow, haunting meditative glimpse into the lives that exist ‘on the other side’-of the partition glass—viewers are drawn in, safely away from the ‘quick cuts’ of commercial programming. Capturing their eyes, in a series of clips—in a cinematographic vision, tinted orange and brown for the sake of appealing and captivating the viewer– we are propelled into a real world muddled with fantasy.

“What if Buddha were to drive a cab?” Baradaran poses. “He’d teach all to turn the carbide itself into the destination, not just the journey.”

Mechanistically re-inhabiting the days when there was no glass barrier, no separation—the video is comprised of shots of the driver’s gaze, often through stained plexiglass arrangements. It psychologically delves into a complicated exchange of race, class and politics.

“As an artist, I am not a documenter here to provide solutions; I am an artist, who wants to get people to think and engage with pertinent political issues. A fine artist, I am not a reporter.” – A. Baradaran

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3 COMMENTS

  1. YOURE EXACTLY THE TYPE OF PERSON, SVETTE– that they Loathe….

    Elitist… self inflated… ‘everybody should respect and kiss my ass’ sort of attitude… GIrl

    Just because you’re paying $7— doesn’t mean they should Suck up to you… Why don’t u try taking initiative and being nice to them for a change

    GREAT ARTICLE– > Very well written :–)

  2. Some taxi drivers are great, most suck.
    I would love to look in one of those rearview mirrors when I get into the cab and see one of them smile and just say “hi.” They are in a service business, and if you want a damn tip, don’t treat me like garbage.
    I over tip them anyway, mostly because they with hold giving my money back.

    and please publish articles with some, just some wit

  3. Good topic. It’s up to every new yorker to break the partition: actually talk to these fellows. Recent conversations include : the absurdity of baseball, possible time-traveling hijackers of the Hadron atom smasher in Switzerland, why hasn’t trader joe’s taken over middle america’s obesity-prone flatlands yet. That and the beauty of the leepa valley and Islamabad, the skinniness of models, and who would ever want to sit in the middle of broadway and 34th street to eat a sandwich to the sound and smell of midday traffic… That one beats us all for sure.

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