Being transported on the escalator, the hot summer air accompanies me only midway and then stalls. On the opposite wall an images of Tehran Musuem of Contemporary Art (TMCA) makes a show. There is apparently no reason for this image to be there or I don't find any. The air-conditioned breeze caresses my face as I enter a hallway where sixteen panels are placed on either side. As a habit, my eyes search for information: who is behind this set up? A flat LCD is on screensaver, indicating that no such information is currently available.
Much like in a gallery, I walk along the walls and pay attention to the hangings that are to accompany me to the end of the hallway. The images that present themselves to my eyes appear as if they were details of a larger image. I can't tell. To the contrary, billboards and adverts above these images try to come across loudly and clearly.
The tiles underfoot are painted in a way to remind you of street pavement. Regularly planted air-conditioners coquettishly spray me with cool air in this hot summer afternoon. Their intrigues don't quite work, however. I spot two guards dozing off in front of an aquarium with colorful fish. This scene spoils it for me. Nor is the vending machine working. I can hear the radio announcer from far off cracking trite jokes. I am at the end of my journey. I have gained little from this excursion, but I am happy to have discovered a place where many ideas can flourish in (environmental artists should especially take note).
The escalators bring me back to the street. This is the "POONEH Bridge-Museum" [::] stretched over KARIMKHAN Street. The newly installed mayor of Tehran inaugurated it in March 2007. It is a small gallery on a pedestrian bridge; as such, the "museum" appellation is thoroughly meaningless. It is simply a street exhibit intended for a commercial sponsor to show its adverts in for a price that will go to the City. For the citizen, who is currently not paying any money to get in, this is something to cherish. We'll have to wait and see if the order of things will remain non-commercial in the future.
[::] Pooneh International Co. is currently leasing the Bridge.