From October 3-5, Tehran’s Azadi (“Freedom”) Tower was lit with words of love, peace, and freedom thanks to a light installation, “Gate of Words” by German artist Philipp Geist.

The installation marked the 25th anniversary of German Unity Day, the annual celebration of Germany’s formal reunification on October 3, 1990. Reunification had started approximately eleven months earlier, when East Germany opened the Berlin Wall under pressure from massive demonstrations.

At a press conference for the installation last week attended by several officials from both countries, German Ambassador to Iran, Michael von Ungern-Sternberg, noted the long history of cultural exchanges between the two countries. According to Mehr News, he also said that he first saw the Azadi Tower two weeks after arriving in Tehran, and a picture of the tower is still the background for his mobile phone. Geist said the “Gate of Words” would help deepen cultural exchange between Iran and Germany.

Using four large projectors to illuminate the monument, shining words of peace and co-existence were displayed in English, German, and Persian. On the first day of the installation, the words moved along the tower’s walls in harmony with live music.

Geist’s work has previously been displayed internationally, including in Germany, Italy, Brazil, and Thailand.

Below are some pictures for the “Gate of Words” installation.

By Muftah