TEHRAN – Veteran sculptor Qodratollah Aqeli has said that an increase in the number of statues across Tehran adds to the visual pollution in the city.

“Visual pollution observed in urban areas makes human beings suffer, and the problem is a major issue that the Tehran Municipality must take into consideration,” Aqeli told the Persian service of ISNA on Sunday.

“All across the city, large and small shops with huge, nonstandard signs have caused the visual pollution, making the city look ugly while in a modern, developed country you cannot see such big signs even for popular brands,” he added.

“A heterogeneous collection of buildings and varied billboards across the city are other factors causing visual pollution. In some cases, even some of the billboards have led to several nasty accidents,” he added. 

Aqeli said that part of the solution to the problem of visual pollution in every society depends on the level of people’s understanding of graphic designs and visual art. He lamented that Iranian society suffers from a low level of understanding these subjects.

He also suggested establishing gardens across the city to display the sculptures, while green areas can be decorated with sculptures adding more to the beauty of the city.

“The passageways and squares across the capital are very crowded, so the increase in the number of the sculptures will not add to the beauty, but will only make the city look busier,” he added.

He elsewhere remarked that visual pollution and the noise in Tehran is really annoying, and that over 30 percent of people’s feeling of anger is because of these forms of pollution.

“The officials in the municipality should not think only about making highways and streets, they must also think about pedestrians. The streets are so crowded that there is no place for pedestrians and they can’t walk in the city to entertain themselves. We should not think only about modernizing the city, because people are the main part of the city and their peace and well being need to be taken into consideration,” he concluded.

Photo: Sculptor Qodratollah Aqeli poses at an exhibition of his works at Tehran’s Sareban Gallery on December 30, 2016. (Honaronline/Sharareh Samei) 

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