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The Gasht-e Ershad, the “Morality Police”

Wearing your headscarf too daringly in Iran can result in action by the morality police. Police forces tasked with implementing strict state interpretations of Islamic morality exist in several states; Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Malaysia. The simple act of a woman riding a bicycle - even while wearing a headscarf - is a controversial issue in Iran.

Hard-liners, including influential clerics, have repeatedly spoken out against it. Their focus is on ensuring observance of hijab - mandatory rules requiring women to cover their hair and bodies and discouraging cosmetics.

Room Concept

Women’s cycling in Iran has become a metaphor for the right to choose. The room recreates the oppression, threat and frustration of the status quo.

Enter by finding your own way through the criticism, abuse, and conflict, only to find that there is still something keeping the goal just out of reach.

See the faces of those who are affected alongside those fighting for change.

Entry to the room is a ramp leading up to a raised platform into an open space. Visitors have to find their way through all the hijabs hanging down like theatre curtains. The hijab show printed quotes and opinions from protestors and hard-liners which came up in the research for and against the freedom of choice.

The space contains images and artefacts which tell the story of the situation in the countries where the Morality Police enforce the wearing of the hijab. Large-scale banners cover the walls behind the screens, the imposing messages surround the visitor.

The main feature inside the room is a giant sculpture of a bicycle. However, the bike can’t be seen by the visitors as it is draped in black fabric. Anyone who tries to lift or remove the material sets off alarms representing reactions towards the cyclists from the hard-liners.

A call to prayer plays to symbolise the duality of religion. Do you genuinely believe in faith and show honest loyalty to the church, or do you submit to it to avoid the oppression and segregation demonstrated by this room’s message?