Final semester project!

My final project installation is a small step in my journey to reconnect with my Armenian heritage through my art. The installation is based on a deconstruction of a map tracing the death marches and massacre sites of the Armenian genocide. Over 1.5 million Armenians died in systematic massacres carried out by the Ottoman Empire (present day Turkey) in 1915.

Hand torn white paper quills are embedded in graphite-tinted resin form march routes the crisscross the massacre sites. I used watercolor paper because of its disposal nature, much like the Armenians were easily disposed of.  I then choose the resin because in certain parts it can be seen through, relating to the fact that people have ignored the occurrence of this event but also used it to show the darkness in the pools I have created to resemble the larger massacre sites. Dispersed throughout are quills that resemble budding flowers to show the rebirth of the culture. My intention for this piece is to recognize the Armenian genocide, my ethnicity, and to equally represent the resilience and strength of my great-grandparents and the Armenian culture. Creating this piece has been a dynamic process. I have changed from Plexiglas and chipboard to resin and watercolor paper and have amped up the size. After researching many artists that deal with the Armenian genocide or similar situations in their art, I was struck repetitive nature of genocide:  the desire to cleanse the world of a marginalized group, the lack of international recognition, and the impact the spans generations. For these reasons, I have chosen to leave the piece untitled. The unfortunate reality is that the map of the Armenian death marches and massacres is a pattern seen in other genocides.

My Process:

• I took 7 rolls of water color paper (44in by 10yd)
• Sawed the paper into miniature rolls
• Ripped each miniature roll in the middle by hand
• Wet and crinkled each strip of ripped paper, let dry
• Then quilled over 3200 + circles
• Placed each circle a top my design and then used resin as the glue for the piece

I came to CCAD to learn as much as I could and that’s exactly what I have tried to do this semester. I have learned more in a couple months then I could have ever imagined, it has been one of the best experiences. I can’t wait to see what next semester holds!!!

What I Have Been Up To

In the last month, I have been very busy creating. I have learned how to make plaster molds, silicone molds, wax sheets, wax forms, used the laser cutter, taught myself the basics of illustrator, and experimented with small scale jewelry casting.

My last critique everyone seemed to favor my past work that I did with paper flowers. I agreed with the feedback and tried to bridge the gap between my two ideas. The piece I have created is a portion of a large installation that I would like to make. I decided to use the Armenian death march map as my inspiration of how to move forward (map below). The path of the clear Plexiglas and quilled paper circles are roughly based upon the path of the death march. The flowers show where the large massacre cities occurred.  I wanted to use the pink Plexiglas as reference to the pink volcanic stone buildings that make up the capital of Armenia. The city is called Yerevan also known as the Armenian’s “pink city”. The volcanic stone is called tuff and it ranges in color from pink pastels to bright orange. The transparency of the Plexiglas exposes apart of history that many people aren’t aware of. My project materials are still evolving. I really want this piece to be bright because regardless of the genocide my family and many others have survived and the culture has and will continue to thrive.

Process of creating the flowers:

1. I created the flowers 3-Dimensionaly
2. Took a picture of the flower, inputted it into illustrator
3. Traced the image, fixed anything that needed to be fixed
4. I first attempted to cut the flowers out of wood (didn’t go well, it was too thick)
5. Learned from my mistakes and then cut the flowers out of chip board/Plexiglas on the laser cutter

Looking for feedback on:

Flower Material- I am considering creating the paper part out of metal and even consider casting part of the larger flower in bronze. I’d like to get feedback on if that would impact people’s perception or impression of the piece.

Armenian Death March:

 

Flower Installation

MOLLY WAS RIGHT!!I have a feeling I will be saying that a lot over the next 2 years. I am glad she had me show a little piece of a floral installation I made recently in critique today. Although I was hesitant it was the right choice and I enjoyed all the feedback I received. Something no one knows about me is that I love to plan parties. I love everything about party planning from the decorations/backdrops to the invitations to the favors. Below are a few pictures that go along with the small flower that I showed today in critique. It was for a bridal shower I threw for my best friend.

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Fall 2017 Project

My project is still in the exploration stages. A few years ago, during my undergrad I started using art as a means of expressing my ethnicity. Since then I have been revisiting the use of art as a means of expressing who I am and how I identify.

I am Armenian, German, Slovak, and Ukrainian. My Armenian ethnicity is the part of me that I know the least about. Although my grandpa had my brother and I convinced for a long time that we were 100% Armenian and that was it. He was proud of who he was and what his culture has overcome. The Armenians have had a catastrophic history.  Armenian genocide occurred nearly a century ago. Over 1.5 million Armenians died in systematic massacres carried out by the Ottoman Empire (present day Turkey). The genocide hit home when my great-grandparents lost two twin boys during the invasion. The genocide was devastating, but their survival is inspiring and uplifting.

Over the years I have learned more about the culture and listened to stories my grandma would tells us, from what she remembers about my grandfather’s Armenian family members. Right now I am looking to learning more about myself while trying to incorporate the memories and the past experiences that my ancestors have overcome into my art.

I’d like to explore different techniques using paper and metal as primary mediums. Metal as a sign of strength. The Armenian culture played an important role in the processing and exporting of metals.  Then newspaper as a form of communication, a method of documenting history, and a means of spreading the truth or propagating misinformation. I am also considering incorporating my inspirations from different symbols; such as pomegranates and the wheel of eternity that play a significant role in the Armenian culture. For this project I was a little stuck in the beginning so I went back to my past radial design I made a few years ago (1). It inspired me to create more radial design patterns and from their I have moved onto exploring the design in 3-D form (2-3).

A few of the artists that have inspired me are Sondra Sherman and Peter Gentenaar’s. Sondra was a past teacher of mine and creates intricate cuts yielding delicate shapes in her jewelry (4). The tough metal appears to morph into a more delicate piece of art.  Gentenaar created amorphous shapes suspended in air with paper (5).  His sculptures invoke the image of a cocoon or the birth of an organism. these are a few artists that have influenced my work. I am excited to keep expanding upon my concept and can’t wait to see where this project goes!

 

 

1.

“Avetis” Grace Korandovich (radial design)

2. 

Radial Design 2

3. Radial Design 3

Inspirations:

4.

“St. Johns Wort” Sherman, Sondra

5. 

“Peter Gentenaar – Floating Paper Sculptures.”

 

 

 

Finally!

I have finally gotten settled into my studio and have started to explore my project more. I can’t wait to see how it continues to evolve over time. This is just the beginning of a intense/fun semester with everyone!