Re: Cultural Horizons of Armenians
The Globe and Mail, Canada
Jan 11 2008
Khanjian really wants to do comedy
The actress known mainly for her work in Atom Egoyan's sober films
tackles another weighty subject in Palace of the End
BRAD WHEELER
>From Friday's Globe and Mail
January 11, 2008 at 3:32 AM EST
Film and theatre actress Arsinée Khanjian is married to Atom Egoyan,
an acclaimed director who has cast her in every feature film he has
ever made, stretching back to 1984's Next of Kin. And although the
alliance has resulted in her winning Gemini and Genie Awards, there's
the perception that the multilingual Khanjian (of Armenian descent,
born and raised in Lebanon, before moving to Montreal as a
17-year-old) is fit only for the type of sober roles we often see her
in - not only in her husband's films, but others as well.
But it isn't true, she will have you know. "People like to find
categories," she says over the phone, "and somehow and sometimes I've
been imprisoned in that perception."
As for the idea that she is just her husband's muse, Khanjian rejects
that typecasting too. "I don't think our collaboration has been
necessarily about that, or just about that."
So, even as she prepared for her role as an insurgent in Judith
Thompson's Iraqi war drama Palace of the End, the 50-year-old actress
expressed her desire to break out of her serious-character mould.
Speaking during a break in rehearsals for the play, Khanjian was in a
relaxed, contemplative mood as she mused on everything from
cellphones - observational comedy! - to her longing for
lightheartedness, to her secret talents. She wants to open up? Let's
see what she's got.
Here you are, in the dead of winter, playing a character inspired by
Nehrjas al-Saffarh, who was tortured by Saddam Hussein's secret
police in the 1970s and later died when her home was bombed during
Desert Storm. How are you holding up?
Wonderful. It's a dream cast and company, and we're having a lot of
fun, actually. We laugh a lot, given the material. It's a good way of
balancing out the actual play. It's very serious, but it does have
the humour that is required in these times. The pain has to be
balanced out with a certain wisdom, which is a sense of humour we
have about our fate as human beings.
The play is a trio of monologues. Is there much creative interaction
with the other two actors, offstage?
It's true, there isn't the traditional dialogue situation, where we
can have fun because we're feeding off each other in that sense. It's
still theatre - you spend a lot of time with your colleagues. It does
feed the energy and the dynamic of the play, even if it's a
monologue. It's not as separated as you would think.
This is your first time working with director David Storch, right?
Yes, it is, and it's wonderful to have a director who's also an
actor. So, that's a particular experience.
Oh, my. Is that a slam at your husband?
Not at all! [Laughs]. Not at all. It's just the variety. It's my
privilege to be working with different temperaments, with different
ways.
Does the relationship change much, when you're working with a
director who's not your husband?
I'm one of those actors committing myself in the hands of the
director. I trust that I do have the experience to explore the darker
areas myself, but I also love being surprised by what they want to
find in me.
It's like having a drawer full of things: You know it's your things,
and you're familiar with them. But if someone else opens it and
starts saying "Oh, so you have this as well, and this...," the
colours suddenly become brighter.
And your husband is okay
with other men going through your drawers?
[Laughs]. Well, it depends on what drawers we're talking about here.
By the way, what's with your husband always wearing black?
You're quite right, he does like black. I think it works on him, with
his colour and his hair colour. Once in a while, I push him to wear
more something more colourful.
Navy blue is nice.
He does have navy blue, but the problem with navy is that it comes
out as black in pictures.
Cellphones: Curse or blessing?
They are ugly things, I think. It's the closest thing that would give
a normal person the [appearance of having] dementia. I still haven't
acclimatized to see people talk, and I wonder, "My god, what's
wrong?" Then I realize they're on their cellphones. On the other
hand, I think people have become more of public performers. They're
doing this kind of dialogue, and you have to imagine the other side
of the conversation.
They're actors, in a sense.
People are so incredible about their private space, but when they're
on their cellphones, they have no sense of privacy. The people around
them know what's going on their emotions, in their lives and their
feelings. I feel it's funny, but sometimes I get very annoyed by it
as well.
What's the importance of Palace of the End?
The beauty of the play, its writing. There's the perception that it's
Judith's first political work. But working on it, and getting more
acquainted with it, I'm realizing that it's not that different from
the characters that she has introduced to us over the years. If they
don't come from small-town Ontario, they do come from small private
places, and they come from around the world. The subject is Iraq, as
a war situation, but the play speaks to our notion of power, our
notion of compassion - our notion of engagement.
Are we are disengaged?
These are very troubling times. Somehow, maybe because of the amount
of information that exists and the technical help to transport this
knowledge from one continent to another, we still do not know what
real engagement means. What Judith does is create a proximity of
these worlds, to talk about the human soul and the effect of each
tragedy as a sense of responsibility on the other. It makes it a very
intimate piece.
Has any good come out of the U.S. invasion of Iraq?
I never believed in the invasion. I don't believe that a liberation
of people should or could come from the outside. I think if there
were a time, if it was a sincere effort of bringing a change to a
society and to help them recover from this oppressive regime, it
should have been done in the sixties and seventies when Saddam
Hussein was starting to build his empire. I don't think Saddam being
there or not is making any difference to the people in Iraq today.
You have a pretty heavy movie coming out, The Lark Farm, about the
Armenian genocide, and you're also co-directing a documentary, Stone
Time Touch, about your return to Armenia. Maybe a comedy is in order?
If you put it in a bold, underlined sort of quotation: My dream is to
be in an absolute comedy! If someone has that sort of imagination to
ask me to do a part like that, it would be one of the most desired
things as a performer I could do.
Canadian Stage's Palace of the End runs Jan. 17 to Feb. 23, with
previews beginning Monday.
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Re: Cultural Horizons of Armenians
Boston Globe, MA
Jan 6 2007
Q&A with Alice Kelikian
Film studies in the age of YouTube
By Mark Shanahan
January 6, 2008
IN THE AGE of YouTube, college courses devoted to the study of film
can seem pretty quaint. Why would students bother with the
masterworks of, say, Stanley Kubrick and Akira Kurosawa when they
could be sitting at a Mac making their very own viral videos? Forget
David Lean, let's talk about lonelygirl15.
At Brandeis University, the person navigating this culture change is
Alice Kelikian, chair of the film studies program. The daughter of
Armenian immigrants - her father, Hampar Kelikian, was the surgeon who
saved Bob Dole's right arm after World War II - Kelikian has an
appealing old-school ardor for cinema. At 13, she went on her first
date to see "Doctor Zhivago," and even now she attributes her love of
movies to the many Saturday afternoons spent in a dark theater gazing
up at Marcello Mastroianni.
But Kelikian knows that sitting in a theater surrounded by a
mesmerized crowd isn't the way most people experience a movie
anymore. Increasingly, the language of film is learned online, on
television, and even in the back of a minivan, where children are
more likely to while away the hours with a DVD than a book.
In response, Kelikian is expanding the inquiry. She's been chair of
the program for two years, and while film purists continue to focus
on aesthetics and theory, she's busy creating courses that address
style, content, and the latest production techniques. Whenever
possible, Kelikian also brings actors and directors into the
classroom to speak for themselves.
"We missed the boat on photography - Brandeis has no program in
photography - and there's an understanding that we don't want to lose
the initiative on digital media," says Kelikian. "I want students to
know what's happening."
IDEAS: Talk about your background and how you became interested in
film.
KELIKIAN: I started out as premed at the University of Illinois, but
I got bored with it by the second week. I decided to transfer and was
in the first class of women at Princeton. There were fewer than 25 of
us. In 1967, I went to Italy with my father and, there, I began an
obsession with all things Italian. I saw Fellini there.
IDEAS: The man?
KELIKIAN: The man.
IDEAS: Was film a big part of your life growing up?
KELIKIAN: Initially, I only went to films when my father had American
doctors over. Movies were a diversion from adult party life. The kids
were shipped out when people who drank and smoked came over.
IDEAS: What is a movie that made an impression on you?
KELIKIAN: I wasn't supposed to see films that dealt with prostitution,
but my parents really loved "Never on Sunday," so the first film I
went to see when I had a say was "Never on Sunday," in which Melina
Mercouri plays a freelance prostitute. "Butterfield 8" was another one
I saw about a call girl.
IDEAS: But what was the movie that got you hooked on film?
KELIKIAN: Mario Monicelli's "The Organizer." I saw it when I was
16. It's about an itinerant professor who -
IDEAS: Is a prostitute?
KELIKIAN: No. But there is a prostitute in the film. The professor is
a socialist who tries to start a labor strike in Turin.
IDEAS: What excited you about movies?
KELIKIAN: I was starstruck and, remember, my first language is
Armenian and my family was very Armenian-centered. We played with
Armenian kids and went to Sunday school, and when the focus wasn't on
Armenian-ness, it was on becoming a surgeon. I scrubbed up with my
father when I was 9 years old.
IDEAS: Who's the biggest movie star of Armenian descent?
KELIKIAN: Mike Connors from "Mannix."
IDEAS: That's pathetic.
KELIKIAN: I'm trying to think. There's Charles Aznavour, but he's
primarily a singer, and Sylvie Vartan, but she's primarily a singer,
too.
IDEAS: What's changed during your tenure as chair of film studies at
Brandeis?
KELIKIAN: When the program started 13 years ago, the dominant medium
in cinema was the motion picture. That remains, but new offshoots
have emerged that speak the language of film, like serial cable drama
and YouTube. Today, film studies has to include visual culture as a
whole: photography, video, animation, even reality TV. The varieties
of media, digital and otherwise, change endlessly, and we need to
comprehend the revolution.
IDEAS: Is the cinema culture dead?
KELIKIAN: I would say so if you're talking about tent-pole studio
films, which now derive from popular or children's literature, like
"The Chronicles of Narnia," "Spider-Man," and "Harry Potter." In this
country, the best movies being made are documentaries. In the past,
the documentary was reportage, but now the techniques of fiction film
are finding their way into the documentary genre.
IDEAS: Errol Morris is a friend of yours.
KELIKIAN: Yes, Errol and his wife have been friends for a long time.
He has screened all of his films at Brandeis in rough-cut. I've seen
his latest, "Standard Operating Procedure," and it's his best yet.
IDEAS: Who else have you had at Brandeis?
KELIKIAN: Eli Wallach. "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" has a huge
cult following. Also, Werner Herzog showed "Encounters at the End of
the World." He denounced television and there he was telling the
audience they had to watch the "Anna Nicole Show" to understand the
Iraq war.
IDEAS: What does the future of film look like?
KELIKIAN: We're witnessing the advent of the short film, which is
prospering thanks to the availability of global Internet access and
inexpensive digital equipment. A language exists now that students
can speak, not just interpret. These are very exciting, porous times
for moving-picture media, with innovation seeping through in ways
unimaginable five years ago.
IDEAS: Is that good?
KELIKIAN: I can't judge. It's what's happening. We have to embrace
it. I don't know where the digital revolution is taking us, but it's
something I want be part of.
IDEAS: Did your father have a favorite film?
KELIKIAN: "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" was one of his favorites because
it spoke to scoliosis. Isn't that hilarious?
IDEAS: Where do you watch films these days? At home or in the
theater?
KELIKIAN: At home.
IDEAS: What happened to that kid who discovered the magic of movies
at the cinema?
KELIKIAN: That kid is older and she discovered the Criterion
Collection on DVD. You have to embrace change.
Mark Shanahan is a member of the Globe staff.
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Re: Cultural Horizons of Armenians
FIRST ARMENIAN PERIODICAL "AZDARAR" REPUBLISHED 213 YEARS AFTER ITS FOUNDATION
CALCUTTA, DECEMBER 25, NOYAN TAPAN - ARMENIANS TODAY. The printing of
the first Armenian periodical "Azdarar" was restored 213 years after
its foundation in the Indian city of Calcutta. The journal was
refounded with the efforts of a small group of Armenian and Indian
intellectuals, with the sponsorship of American Armenian astronomer
Nora Andreasian-Tomasi. The Armenian section was compiled by Greta
Andreasian, a teacher at the local Philanthrophical Academy, the
English section by Vard Anush Sahakian from Washington.
The RA National Academy of Sciences, the National Library, the "Hay
Arvest" mazagine, YSU Journalism Faculty headed by the late Garnik
Ananian cooperated with the journal.
The journal's first issue presents the greeting speech of the National
Academy of Sciences, the scientific analysis of David Sargsian, the
Director of the National Library of Armenia on "Azdarar's" 1974 issue
A. In the journal Indian linguist S. Sarkar presents the local New
Year, Durga Puja, and A. Chanda presents silk-weaver Armenians of
Sayidabad. In the culture part prominent sculptor Levon Tokmajian tells
about the creation of the sculptures of "Azdarar's" founder H.
Shmavonian. "Azdarar" presents essays on the "Hay Arvest" magazine
(Karen Matevosian), "Hos" electronic journal of Javakhk (Armen
Grigorian), "Silk Island" film (S. Banrji), as well as a number of
works by talented painter Mina Ananian.
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Re: Cultural Horizons of Armenians
The Armenian Mosaics of Jerusalem
Associated Content Producer (The People's Media Company)
November 20, 2007
By Norman A. Rubin
The history of Christian Jerusalem would not be complete without mention
of the Armenian Christian presence, the door to which has been thrown
open by the discovery of seven mosaic pavements. With their Armenian
inscriptions, these are evidence of wealth and influence of the Armenian
community that flourished in the early years of the Christian era.
In the latter half of the fifth century, the Armenians were defining
their national traditions and religious customs. Under the patriarchate
of Sahak, an Armenian alphabet was created. St. Mesrob and St. Sahak,
leading figures of the early Armenian Church, translated the Bible into
the Armenian script. Evangelization was intensified and an Armenian
literature developed.
Thus, the fifth century is regarded as the golden age of Armenia. The
Armenian Christian Church secured rights to the Holy Land's religious
sites surrounding Jerusalem. The newly created Armenian script was no
doubt an important means for expressing their possession of a site.
During the sixth century, Jerusalem and its environs had numerous
Armenian churches. In AD 570 an anonymous pilgrim noted the Mount of
Olives was covered with monasteries and churches. Two other documents
confirmed it; one is the list of Armenian monasteries and churches by
the monk-historian Anaste in the seventh century and the other the
Commemoratorium Cassis Dei (AD 808).
It is generally assumed that many of these buildings were destroyed
during a succession of invasions beginning with the Persian at the
beginning of the seventh century. This was followed by the return of the
Byzantines in AD 628 and then the Moslem conquest of Jerusalem ten years
later, and in AD 653 Armenia became an Arab protectorate.
Through the discovery of the seven mosaic floors, archaeologists have
been able to verify the presence of these religious buildings and to
ascertain their construction and design. Within the Convent of James, in
the Armenian quarter of Jerusalem, two fragmentary mosaics have
survived. Both are decorated with trees and animals.
Of the other surviving mosaic pavements with Armenian inscriptions only
three merit historical and artistic discussion. They are part of a group
of funerary chapels inscribed with the names of the deceased notables
who patronized the churches and had seen to their upkeep. Two are within
the compound of the Russian Convent of the Ascension on the Mount of
Olives. The earliest of these two decorated floors, the Atravan mosaic
is preserved in the Russian convent's museum: The inscription reads,
"this is the tomb of the blessed Susanna, Mother of Atravan."
The design of these mosaic pavements is composed of alternately of
interlaced roundels and squared bordered by a braided motif. The
medallions enclose many birds among which are pheasants, flamingoes,
ibises, doves, ducks and hens. Interspersed within the mosaics are
medallions decorated with leaves and fruit. Within is a centerpiece with
a symbolic lamb.
The third and the most impressive was discovered in 1895 is in the
Musrara quarter near the Damascus Gate. This sumptuous mosaic, measuring
6.5 by 4 mtr., decorated the funerary chapel of St. Polyeuctos, an
officer of XXII Roman Legion and a third century soldier-martyr. The
mosaic has the same style of workmanship as those from the Mount of
Olives, with the same plaited borders as a frame to the decorated
central panel. Christian motifs are stressed; the vine scrolls appear to
imply life after death, the bird in the cage signifies the incarnation
of Christ within the human body; the peaxxxxs drinking from an amphora
is and another symbol of life after death. The pavement has an Armenian
inscription at its base, which reads, "To the memory and salvation of
the souls of all Armenians whose names are known by God alone."
The Jerusalem mosaic pavements provide indisputable evidence of
considerable Armenian presence in the early years of the city. It is a
rich legacy of the past, which attests to the deep faith of the Armenian
Church and its followers, the Armenian people.
NOTE:
1) During recent archaeological excavations carried out in the Musrara
quarter, Jerusalem, four Armenian inscriptions were discovered: one on a
mosaic floor, two tombstones, and one graffito on a large pottery bowl.
See: http://micro5.mscc.huji.ac.il/~armenia/newmos.html
2) There is no precise data as to when the Armenian Church began to
build in Jerusalem. Nor is it known whether their fifth and sixth
century's religious edifices were different from those of the Greek
Orthodox Church. However there is enough evidence to indicate that both
the Armenians and Greek monks shared the same monasteries. An example is
the remains of the monastery of the Armenian St Euthymius and his Greek
disciple St. Saba.
3) In the Old City of Jerusalem lies the Armenian quarter with the
Armenian Patriarchate of St. James, a sprawling convent and monastery
complex. The Gulbenkian library in the quarter boasts fifty thousand
volumes, of which twenty thousand are in Armenian. The former seminary
was transformed in 1979 into a museum, which welcomes visitors to its
rich display. The St. James printing press, the first in the Holy City,
was established in 1833; most of its output is in the Armenian language.
Yet it undertakes work in other languages, including Arabic and Hebrew.
More resources:
Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem: http://www.armenian-patriarchate.org
Armenian Studies Program at Fresno State University:
The author is a former correspondent for the Continental News Service
(USA), now retired, busy writing short stories and articles in all genres.
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Re: Cultural Horizons of Armenians
BY PROGRAM APPROVED BY GOVERNMENT COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF MATENADARAN'S MANUSCRIPTS CAN BE PREPARED IN TEN YEARS
Noyan Tapan
Dec 13, 2007
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 13, NOYAN TAPAN. The government has approved
a program on complete description and printing of Matenadaran
manuscripts' collection. As Hrachya Tamrazian, the Director of
Matenadaran, said in his interview to Noyan Tapan correspondent,
this program being one of the priorities of Armenology requires hard
work and needs additional specialists. "With our current resources
it will take us 50 years to do the whole work," he said.
According to H. Tamrazian, in case of the fulfilment of the program
presented the work will be organized in a centralized way, new
specialists will be involved and the whole list of Matenadaran's
manuscripts will be completed and printed within ten years.
"We have already invited five research officers at the expense of
our own reserves. New specialists will be also invited next year,
and the issue of change of generation in Matenadaran will be also
solved in this way," Hrachya Tamrazian emphasized. The institution is
already implementing a joint program with Yerevan State University:
gifted students will come to Matenadaran, will study the Manuscripts,
will have a possibility to raise the level of their skills, which
will contribute to multiplication of Matenadaran's potential.
The Director of Matenadaran said that two volumes of Matenadaran
manuscripts' basic list have been already printed. They include 600
manuscripts. The third volume will be also printed one of these days
and the preparation work of the fourth volume is underway.
"This is the large program Matenadaran's specialists have been working
at for many years to present a complete description of the whole
list of manuscripts. The printing of the basic list of manuscripts
is really one of the priorities of whole Armenology, and that is not
only study of manuscripts, but also complete and detailed description
of the materials, during preparation of which new unread pages can
be revealed," H. Tamrazian stated.
..........
HRACHYA TAMRAZIAN: CONSTRUCTION OF MATENADARAN'S SCIENTIFIC ANNEX IS A NECESSITY
Noyan Tapan
Dec 13, 2007
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 13, NOYAN TAPAN. The construction of Matenadaran's
scientific annex is a necessity today, especially as the number
of its employees has a tendency of growing. As Hrachya Tamrazian,
the Director of Matenadaran, said in his interview to Noyan Tapan
correspondent, all scientific departments of Matenadaran need new
specialists, new departments should be also created, but the building
conditions are not sufficient. In case of building a new scientific
annex the scientific department will be placed there, and exhibitions
will be organized in the current main building.
According to H. Tamrazian, the institution has a restoration department
with modern equipment, where incunabular and rare manuscripts, books
and press kept not only in Matenadaran, but also in other institutions
are restored.
This department also needs to be "multiplied," as it takes more than
two years to restore one manuscript.
H. Tamrazian also said that 90 manuscripts have been already videoed
by the device donated by Lebanese Armenian architect Perch Guyumjian,
as a result of the digitalization work being done in Matenadaran at
present. "There is no time to test the device, we at once started
videoing the manuscripts," the Director said.
As regards the deal with the American Hill Museum-Library
of Manuscripts, H. Tamrazian excluded that Matenadaran will ever
cooperate with any organization of the kind on such terms: "this is
inadmissible and dangerous." "Cooperation with foreign organizations
should be carried out by the principle of not giving them copies. We
are ready to cooperate with other foreign organizations, including
the Austrian Graz University," he emphasized.
The Director said that the Austrians have already worked with such
devices, have experience and tested devices, which have passed
expertise. They will give the devices without preconditions. "And
for them, it is beneficial to cooperate with such a large museum of
manuscripts as Matenadaran."
According to H. Tamrazian, the videoing work of manuscripts is
the first stage of the digitalization program, that stage is being
fulfilled through donations. The funds for the next stage will be
allocated by the government, for manuscripts subject to restoration,
which need to be restored and rehabilitated before videoing.
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Re: Cultural Horizons of Armenians
The philanthropists' maestro
By Pamela Ryckman
FT
December 15 2007 02:11
Among Vartan Gregorian's dedicated gatekeepers is a security guard at
the Carnegie Corporation's Madison Avenue headquarters. `That's a great
man you're going to see,' he says. `He's known presidents, dignitaries,
everybody. All the most important people.'
Moments later, when Gregorian arrives wearing a conservative navy blue
suit, he greets the guard by name. It is a Saturday morning, but coming
into the office on the weekend is, after all, part of his routine.
The 12th president of the 96-year-old Carnegie Corporation, one of the
nation's most prominent foundations, leads his guests through glass
doors to the 26th-floor lobby and snaps up a recent edition of
`Carnegie Results', the organisation's quarterly newsletter, titled
`Looking Back at Zimbabwe'. When Gregorian gingerly draws attention to
the first line ` `This is the anatomy of a grant that failed' ` his
message is clear: he and the institution he has led for a decade are
accountable.
His spacious office seems more the retreat of a fervent academic than a
backdrop for the jet-set companion to corporate tycoons, luminaries and
socialites. Covering nearly every surface are books and stacks of
paper, including clippings from the dozen broadsheets he consumes each
week. Pointing to his two large desks, he smiles: `Sometimes I go from
this one to that one, and I pretend I just got here.'
Gregorian's genial humility belies his accomplishments. A 16-page
resumé reveals he is a board member of 11 organisations, including the
Museum of Modern Art and the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation,
and has similarly served 46 other institutions in the past. He has
received 60 honorary degrees, 39 awards, six international decorations,
14 civic honours and 16 prestigious medals, including the National
Humanities Medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's
highest civilian honour.
Gregorian became famous in the 1980s when, as president of the New York
Public Library, he secured the much-needed funding ` $327m by 1989 `
that restored the crumbling landmark to a vibrant cultural nexus.
Later, as president of Brown University, he almost tripled its
endowment and exceeded expectations by raising $534m in a five-year
capital campaign.
Gregorian has been hailed as a fund-raising genius and served as
trusted philanthropic adviser to Bill Gates, Ted Turner, Scottish
billionaire Tom Hunter and the late Walter Annenberg, but he insists
money is a mere facilitator. Ideas are what change the world.
`You have to believe in your cause because if you have no core beliefs
of your own, it's just a business,' he says. `I've tried to make it a
mission.'
Gregorian is at heart an intellectual and scholarship is core to his
approach to philanthropy. All great transformation stems from the
dissemination of thoughts and theories, and education breeds the
understanding and collaboration that will ultimately cure society's
ills. `We bring experts together,' he says of his work at the Carnegie
Corporation. `We believe in solving issues, regardless of where the
solutions come from. We want to create debate.'
As a result, the $3bn Carnegie Corporation functions as the microcosm
of a university where Gregorian continues to learn and teach. `I
surround myself with professors and other thinkers. This place is full
of scholars, idea people, creatives,' he says. `I'm engaged now in all
of learning, all education transcending the regions.'
For context and edification, the foundation's programme directors
attend all big grant meetings and are encouraged to challenge one
another. Like a PhD candidate presenting his or her dissertation, each
director submits to questions from the group. Research is dissected and
analysed. `It's a very healthy give-and-take. Everybody learns as a
result other people's projects,' Gregorian says. `We're not in the
self-promotion business, and we're not afraid to ask critics to assist.
Then we include all criticisms in our presentation to trustees.'
Gregorian learnt from leading scientists the importance of
acknowledging risk and celebrating trial and error in philanthropy. `I
met James Watson [co-discoverer of the structure of DNA] one evening
and he said: `I'm so excited. I've found out how not to do something!'
Why can't social scientists say the same thing? That would be a great
salvation.'
Though known for his warmth and bear hugs, Gregorian demands boundless
rigour of those who seek grants from the Carnegie Corporation. Having
spent nearly two decades asking for money, Gregorian knows what a solid
pitch entails.
Like Watson, grantees don't have to be right, but they must be thorough
and forward-looking, evincing zeal and commitment. `You have to
demonstrate that you're not in the need business, but rather in the
idea business. You have to say: `I'm not entitled to your support. I
want an opportunity to compete for your support,'?' Gregorian says.
The Carnegie Corporation is `an incubator, not an oxygen tank'; it
takes calculated risks for defined periods of time by endowing the most
promising proposals from the sharpest minds. Deserving grantees have
done their homework. They arrive at the foundation's offices with
revolutionary scientific evidence or a new orientation, promoting
methods unlike those already pursued. `Are you in the reputation-making
business or are you already reputable?' Gregorian asks. `I can trust
both ` people who want to make a reputation and people who already have
a reputation to lose.'
Gregorian sees himself as a conductor who, after hiring and subsidising
the virtuosi, works to create a unified opus from their individual
endeavours. `Everybody else has spent a lifetime to become experts. I
cannot second-guess them. All I can do is focus their attention on an
important cause,' he says. `My role is how to make a symphony out of
all of this.'
In this, he ensures every initiative aligns with his benefactor's
intentions. `Carnegie Corporation money is not Gregorian's money. It's
his money,' he says, pointing to a portrait of Andrew Carnegie on his
office wall. `I'm an instrument of his foundation, so I have to do
justice to that. I have my own priorities, but I cannot impose them as
a substitute for his mission.'
Fortunately, though, Gregorian's personal devotion to study and civic
engagement runs parallel to the foundation's objectives. Among the
Carnegie Corporation's big new programmes is ongoing instruction for
teachers. Gregorian sees teaching as a profession, not a trade, and
believes America needs `a transmission belt whereby new theories of
psychology, cognition, anthropology, sociology or neuroscience can
reach teachers'.
His labours for international peace are also filtered through the prism
of education. Even before September 11 2001, he recognised the need for
westerners to better understand Islam, the fastest-growing religion in
America ` and the world. In 2003, Gregorian, an Armenian Christian born
in Iran, published Islam: A Mosaic, Not a Monolith to clarify the
history of an increasingly vilified faith and show the diversity among
its 1.2bn practitioners. `We have to see what we have in common, as
well as what divides us,' he says.
By next year, the Carnegie Corporation will have convened 100 scholars
in an attempt to bridge orthodoxy and heterodoxy, and to promote open
discourse between Muslims and others.
Gregorian is certainly inspired by the classroom, but his accumulated
knowledge has practical application far beyond an isolated ivory tower.
He sees philanthropy as part of the American ethos, a nimble
alternative to our government's ventures in social welfare. `The
political, public process is slow,' he says. `Philanthropy can
innovate, challenge, demonstrate. It can provide immediate
breakthroughs and it can allow us to correct governmental actions.'
Gregorian advocates this private investment for the public good. He
works to advance civilisation and culture because, he says, `there are
ideals worth believing in and fighting for. When you stop learning or
being curious, you're deadening your soul. You have room to grow, no
matter what age you are.'
So, at 73, he remains on stage, wielding power with passion and
precision. And if history is any indication, when Gregorian raises his
baton, his orchestra ` magnates, academics, policymakers, all ` will
begin to play, in harmony and right on cue.
Leave a comment:
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Re: Cultural Horizons of Armenians
2 of 2
INTERVIEW WITH ARMENIAN PHOTOGRAPHER: ARSINEH KHACHIKIAN
SOAD Fans
Dec 13 2007
......
Let's talk about your work with System of a Down, how did you first
get to work with them? for how long?
My first chance to shoot System was in 2000 when they headlined for
the SnoCore Tour at The Avalon in Boston. It was for an interview I
conducted with Serj for an Armenian youth magazine. After I returned to
DC in 2003 to work for the ANCA, one of my first projects was to make
use of the donation from the first SOULS concert. We decided to put
it towards a mass postcard campaign, providing hundreds of thousands
of Armenian Americans with postcards they would then forward to then
Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert and Majority Leader Tom DeLay,
urging passage of the Genocide Resolution to a vote. They decided
to hold another SOULS concert on which we collaborated, preparing
informational booklets on the genocide for mass distribution at the
concert and organizing relevant non-profit booth presence to educate
the masses on human rights issues. I attended several of their concerts
for either working booths or shooting, which they were very gracious to
permit. My purpose in shooting was purely for the sake of capturing a
moment in time that was so significant for so many of my peers. Until
my very last days in the US, I was shooting them at the protests in
DC. I have not worked with them since.
You followed with your camera Serj & John in their Genocide rally in
several places, along with their visit to the Congress and 'Screamers'
movie screening too, how was that photographing experience and as
an Armenian, how do you see these efforts can make the Genocide
recognition happen?
Some of my earliest memories as a child are attending protests in
Washington, DC at the Turkish Embassy and the White House. Year
after year, attendance would dwindle, survivors passed away,
and motivation slowed down. Decades of protesting with no results
began to take its toll on the community's focus and energy, but
never its determination. While the world stood by and watched the
genocide take place in Rwanda wondering how we could let it happen,
Armenians around the world were still waiting for acknowledgement of
our own genocide 80 years prior. There were always the few that never
lost their perseverance and drive. They continued to carry the cause
through all doubt, making it possible to pass the torch on to those
who had power and influence to take it further. In the early '00s,
despite the White House's decision to pull the genocide resolution as
it was going to a vote, the cause began to gain momentum as scholars
and artists were making themselves heard. Samantha Power wrote the
Pulitzer Prize winning book "Problem from Hell: America and the Age
of Genocide," which drew international attention to the epidemic of
genocide, starting with denial of 1915. Turkish scholar Taner Akcam
was speaking openly and honestly about the genocide.
Orhan Pamuk and Hrant Dink faced charges of insulting Turkishness for
making reference to the killings of Armenians. Armenian filmmaker
Atom Egoyan directed a film that dealt with the genocide, earning
the audience of all North America. Sibel Edmonds spoke out about
wiretaps revealing Turkish bribes to elected officials. US Ambassador
to Armenia, John Evans spoke publicly about the genocide against US
policy, despite their termination of his position and outrage at his
dissent. The Boston Globe and New York Times changed their policy on
forbidding usage of the word genocide when describing the events of
1915. More and more elected officials, including John Kerry, Barack
Obama, and Nanci Pelosi, were speaking firmly on the genocide issue.
A domino effect began and System of a Down contributed to the
momentum. They were in the position to not only educate the masses
about the genocide and draw public attention to the matter, but they
were also vital in connecting the issue to an overall human rights
campaign to stop genocide anywhere and everywhere. This was a turn
in focus, which now affects the way this issue is viewed today.
When Serj and John visited Washington, they drew record numbers to
the annual DC protest and public attention to our message. Media came
in from all over the world to cover the event, their meetings on the
Hill allowed us to reach more offices than usual, and they inspired
more people to get involved. For the first time, I saw heads turning
that never raised a brow in the previous 90 years. Their visit made
a difference, and it motivated the community to keep fighting.
As for Screamers, the film drills home the story of what it's all
about. For those who were System fans and didn't know about the
cause, it filled in the gaps. For those who had been fighting for
recognition all these years, it put into perspective what the new
face of Armenian American grassroots has become. In Armenia where the
fight for recognition is quite moot, and the phenomenon of System's
success is mysterious, bringing Carla Garapedian (director) to present
Screamers here was also a telling tale. For the first time, Armenian
citizens began to understand what the fight was all about and learned
more about their brothers and sisters across the world.
From your experience shooting System, who was the most difficult to
shoot? and usually how was the vibe getting photos for the band?
Each band member is incredibly photogenic and their personalities
really show through on stage. I've shot tons of concerts and usually
there's only so much you can capture of someone singing into a
microphone. But in System's case, because they are so active on stage
and dynamic in presence, it's really tough keeping up with them,
capturing as many frames as possible. It was the toughest challenge
and the most rewarding... and fun.
But my favorite moments were chatting with the fans in the pit before
the band hit the stage. Some of the fans kept grabbing at me, some
tried to trade places with me, begged for my pass, asked how I got
there... some just wanted to talk about the music or how great the
band is. They were real fans and I loved interacting with them. That's
always the best vibe I got from those shows... that and when the band
members looked straight into my camera for the perfect shot.
The most unique story took place during the campaign in DC. Many months
prior to their visit, they had gone to Chicago to protest at Speaker
Hastert's district office, requesting a meeting to discuss putting the
genocide resolution to a vote. At the time, the Speaker was holding
the vote back, after accusations of taking bribes from the Turkish
lobby. Serj continued to bombard him with requests for a meeting,
especially leading up to the DC visit, to which Hastert refused
continuously. As we roamed the halls of Congress, going door to door
of several Congressman, we departed with Senator Allen's office where
the Chief of Staff offered to escort us through the "members only"
route so that they could see some of the historic sites and make
it to the next meeting on time. As we passed through the dome, kids
started identifying Serj and John already, throwing us into a rush. We
quickly navigated through to the next room... and then the next room
when we realized we went the wrong way. We returned to where the high
school kids were murmuring only to find Speaker Hastert himself,
greeting some of the kids... not a common sighting around the Hill
at all. Without hesitation, John went in for the kill to corner him,
and Serj stopped him in his path. I didn't think my camera could snap
quickly enough. I barely even heard the conversation over the click of
my shutter. It was clear on Hastert's face that he realized what was
going on and needed to get out of there. Relentlessly, Serj articulated
the importance of the resolution and reminded the Speaker that it was
an issue he could no longer brush under the rug. We walked away and
it took me a good hour before the chills stopped running down my spine.
Do you have any current projects you're working on?
I just started compiling my entire life's work of photography to tell
the story of my experience as an Armenian American growing up in the
US, then repatriating to Armenia. I'm hoping through this process
to portray the advancement of the Armenian Diaspora over the last 20
years, simultaneously with Armenia itself after the collapse of the
Soviet Union, war, earthquake and economic collapse. As children,
we grew up with Armenian culture as a static and historic identity
to be preserved, one that faded every day with assimilation. I want
to show that this is not the case and that the Armenian identity
in the Diaspora in Armenia is more alive than ever. I've had a rare
opportunity to see so many aspects of Armenian life which have played
key roles in defining our identity, and I carried a camera with me
along the way.
The book is titled "My Nation: The Trails and Trials of an Armenian
Repatriate" and will be released in May 2008. I'll be updating
information on the progress and availability at http://www.mynation.am
and http://www.deemcommunications.com . Meanwhile, my photos are always on
display at http://www.digitalrailroad.net/arsineh.
Thanks Arsineh ~
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Re: Cultural Horizons of Armenians
1 of 2
INTERVIEW WITH ARMENIAN PHOTOGRAPHER: ARSINEH KHACHIKIAN
SOAD Fans
Dec 13 2007
Arsineh is a photographer who followed System of A Down in their
Mezmerize Tour in 2005, she delivered to fans outstanding shoots for
their favorite band.
In 2006, Arsineh followed Serj Tankian & John Dolmayan with her
camera in their visit to Capitol Hill Observance and their rally to
push the Armenian Genocide bill. She also joined 'Screamers' movie
crew and took photos of the movie screening in some different places.
Arsineh was nice enough to give us her consent for exclusive interview
for SOADFans talking about her experience with shooting System of A
Down live on the stage, outside the stage and other things.
SOADFans: What was the first photograph you ever took (in your
professional career) and when was that?
AK: It's not clear if and when I became professional since my primary
career is graphic design. Photography was always something I just did
voluntarily since I had my first snapshot camera at 8 years old. It
served many purposes along the way, mostly personal, but it came in
handy for everything and is my core passion. If I had to recall, my
first professional shot was probably a wedding or genocide related
conference. My first show was Granian (now Kill the Alarm) at The
Bitter End in New York City.
SOADFans: What inspired you to become a photographer?
AK: I always liked the idea of a dark room when I was a child. There
was a science behind the art that was tangible and real. I took the
first photo class I could when I was 14, shooting with my father's
35 mm Canon SLR which he bought before I was born (can't remember the
exact model). After that, it was merely a way to look at the world at
every angle, and to share my perspectives with others. I don't work
in dark rooms anymore, but I still feel a unique excitement every
time I get a shot I like. I also feel the potential with widespread
connectivity and the responsibility photographers have to expose events
around the world with the hopes of inspiring others. The photos I take
can be seen by the world and interpreted in a million ways, hopefully
with a better understanding of the subject. It's this idea that the
photo speaks for itself and cannot tell a lie that is untouchable in
a world where words are misinterpreted every day.
What kind of photographing equipment do you use? do you have any
favorite?
I now shoot with a Canon EOS 5D with a 17-40mm and 75-300mm lens. My
first camera was my Dad's Canon. I then bought a 35mm Nikon N70,
then a Canon EOS Rebel, and now my 5D. I keep it simple.
I know you're Armenian, and you used to live in L.A but recently you
moved to Armenia, what made you decide to move from LA to Armenia?
How has that been for you?
I actually never lived in LA, just visited far too much. I grew
up in DC and studied in New York and Boston with a very strong
sense of Armenian identity instilled by my family, active in the
community since I was 8. Moving to Armenia seemed like a natural
progression after a lifetime devoted to preserving the culture. It
became reality when I was offered a job in 2001 as photo editor of
AIM magazine. I had visited several times before, but only for short
visits. During that time, I discovered an addiction to Armenia and
returned to DC with the intention of gaining experience, saving up,
devising a plan and moving back to Armenia once I was prepared. I
was then called on to work for the Armenian National Committee of
America in their national headquarters in Washington. I did anything
from helping Armenian Americans start their careers in public policy,
to designing more postcard campaigns than I can remember, to organizing
several protests and vigils for the Armenian and Darfur genocides, to
collaborating with System of a Down on the SOULS benefit concerts. I
did that for a few years and worked a couple other design jobs to
save up for my return to Armenia in '06.
I set the date for my move coincidentally right after Serj and
John's visit to Washington. They left town, I packed my life and
was in Armenia the following week. The moment I arrived felt like I
had been there all along. I started a PR firm within a month, Deem
Communications, and now employ 15 industry experts, handling some of
Armenia's biggest contracts and introducing new business from the
international market. I am living out my dream, working on massive
PR projects, organizing cultural events and implementing widespread
marketing campaigns to a country unfamiliar to the concept for
decades. All the while, I'm shooting every bird, ant and rock around
me. One day I'm covering a conference on dual citizenship policies
or major concerts, the next day I'm capturing a flock of chickens
or a villager who's main concern is if his grapes were plentiful
this year. The extremes and contrasts bring out the essence of life
that I live for. It's back to the basics of life for me, enjoying
the taste of food, the art of conversation, studying the root of
someone's accent or dialect, the paths we've crossed, and savouring
present day life. The fact that this is the land my ancestors came
from brings it home. Had I been doing all these things anywhere else,
I wouldn't have felt as rewarded. I get to do what I love most with
my own people and watch my country grow.
Do you think more Armenians, who live all around North America/Europe,
should move back to their homeland Armenia?
I think those who are interested in living in Armenia should take
that idea very seriously by visiting and finding something to do. I
don't believe all Armenians must return as it is a very personal
choice that depends on many factors in life and vary person to
person. I happened to be in the right place at the right time with
few responsibilities holding me back. But to say that Armenia only
exists within its current borders is neglecting centuries of migrant
families who have made their marks around the world and maintained
their identity, spreading their culture to their adopted nations.
That said, I came to Armenia at a time where you could count
repatriates from the US on your hands. Visitors would pass through for
short 2-week trips or long 6-month program stays. It's fair to say
now that there is a movement, with tens of thousands of repatriates
from all over the world, and many more visitors and investors. I
recently published a book, Special Residency Status, sharing stories
of 18 such repatriates and their insane culture clashes. There are
thousands of others with their eyes on the homeland and I have no
doubt that they will keep coming, if not for the romantic idea of
living in one's land, perhaps for the mere reason that it is a sound
logical decision. Armenia's economy has been and continues to boom at a
surprising rate despite all odds of blockade, the slow reconstruction
from the 1988 earthquake, war through the '90s and the collapse of
the Soviet Union. With almost all borders closed, no ports and no
oil, Armenia has rejected all public projections and took off on its
own. I believe it attributes to two important factors. The Diaspora
is a unique resource which few other nations have. At the same time,
the citizens of Armenia faced so much hardship all at once until they
had no choice but to get creative to survive.
In the end, two things matter most to me: justice for the Armenian
genocide and prosperity in the homeland. I've had the chance in life
to contribute to both.
A lot of your photos focus on Armenian themes. Is there a main
message behind your photos? What do you want to tell the world through
these photos?
I just want people to see the beauty in everything around them. This
is something I only realized much later in life, one of the reasons
I love to shoot so much. I've had people tell me that they never
looked at the subject that way until they saw it in my photos. I view
things with a fascination for the form or subject and can only hope
that the photo conveys that to others. If I focus on Armenian themes,
it's probably because my life is consumed by them. I do believe that
the Armenian people are a fascinating race with some of the richest
colors and spices in life. I love to share that with people who may
or may not relate to my experience. Armenia is also considered one of
(if not the) oldest modern nations, which has risen and fallen, played
a vital role in the make up of today's world, but has gone unnoticed,
almost neglected. I simply take the opportunity to share it with the
world where few others do.Leave a comment:
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Re: Cultural Horizons of Armenians
MONUMENTS IN ARMENIA NOT REGISTERED YET
Panorama.am
13:44 08/12/2007
"We implement fact writing works on the Armenian monuments," Samvel
Karapetyan, director of an organization engaged in the research of
the Armenian architecture, informed. In his words, it is a shame we
do not have a registrar of the Armenian monuments yet although the
country is on the space of 30 thousand square meters.
He mentioned that the organization has been engaged in fact writing
works since 1920 but they have not finished as of yet. "There are
about 1000 villages on the territory of Armenia that have monuments
not under registration. The registered monuments should be published
in books according to marzes but we do not have such books yet,"
Karapetyan added.
........
MONUMENTS IN GEORGIA AND WESTERN ARMENIA BECOME FEWER AND FEWER
Panorama.am
21:20 08/12/2007
"We conducted two trips to Georgia and three to Western Armenia," said
Samvel Karapetyan the director of the organization which investigates
Armenian architecture. According to him the mission of their trips
was to examine and find out Armenian monuments and to measure, to
photograph and copy Armenian lithographs.
S. Karapetyan said that they edit the results of the trips to publish
books on their basis. He said that next year they plan to publish a
book devoted to the investigations carried out in Akhalckha. "The most
interesting thing was that we found a khachkar from 1475 in Akhalckha,"
said S. Karapetyan.
He also said that their group found many khachkars in Akhalckha from
14th and 15th centuries, but the lithographs of which are unknown
and were never published. Unfortunately he mentioned that Armenian
churches and khachkars are being destroyed in Georgia. During the
reconstructions of the churches they destroy Armenian values.
S. Karapetyan said that they found an Armenian khachkar from 927
in the Western Armenia. And he continued saying that there are many
khachkars from 14-15 centuries in the Western Armenia.
The expert mentioned that "Mecopa" monastery is completely
destroyed. He said that they met the Kurd; he was in the group of
those who destroyed the monastery. The Kurd told the story of how
they destroyed it in order to find gold.
S. Karapetyan said that next year they will visit the places in
Western Armenia, Tbilisi and Arcakh which they did not manage to see
yet. He said that he saw 80% of Arcakh monuments, so next year he will
complete the list and publish a full volume of the monuments in Arcakh.
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Re: Cultural Horizons of Armenians
I enjoy her articles.
Before this, she had done a series detailing her experiences in the regions of Armenia.Leave a comment:
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