'Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World'
By Javaad Alipoor | A Javaad Alipoor Company Production
2022-2024
Co-commissioned by HOME and The National Theatre of Parramatta, Australia
We collaborated closely with the brilliant team at Limbic Cinema to create the visual content for this bold and genre-defying production — part play, part podcast, part live gig. Together, we crafted a visual language that matched the intensity, wit, and complexity of the narrative — a thrilling investigation into both a murder, and the very act of investigation itself.
Set against the unsolved 1992 murder of Fereydoun Farrokhzad — Iranian pop icon, political exile, and cultural firebrand — the production explores how information flows (and fails) in a world shaped by colonial legacies, digital tools, and fractured identities. Farrokhzad, often described as Iran’s “Tom Jones,” was found brutally murdered in his German apartment, only months after performing to sold-out audiences at the Royal Albert Hall. His case remains unsolved, largely invisible outside Iranian communities.
This visually rich, fast-paced show dives into that absence — using live video, reactive media, and digital scenography to echo the internet’s endless rabbit holes, the loops of a true-crime podcast, and the unreliability of the narratives we build from half-truths and headlines.
Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World is the final part in Javaad Alipoor’s acclaimed trilogy exploring global politics, technology, and identity in the 21st century, following The Believers are but Brothers and Rich Kids: A History of Shopping Malls in Tehran.
“A dazzlingly complex show that unpicks the way our very thinking can be conditioned by the tools we use.” – ★★★★★ The Guardian
“A fascinating, knotty and elusive piece, darting about from one art form to another.”
We’re proud to have been part of this visionary production — a creative investigation that pushes the boundaries of what theatre, storytelling, and digital design can do.
Directed – Javaad Alipoor
Design – Ben Brockman
Composer, Music Director and Live Musician – Me-Lee Hay
Music – Raam Emami
Projection and Video Design – Limbic Cinema & Vent Media
Sound Designer – Simon McCorry
Performed by Raam Emami, Javaad Alipoor, Asha Reid and Me-Lee Hay
2021-2024
