“Bnagir” writers’ group weekly meeting (Emily Artinian far right)

For me, the most significant aspect of the NPAK residency was the opportunity it provided for the exchange of ideas: as a book artist, I found that I was bringing a form to the country not familiar to most artists there, and so in addition to lecturing on my own work and the history of book art, I ran a series of workshops on the construction of basic book structures and also mounted a small exhibition of work by North American and European book artists.

In turn, I was richly rewarded with numerous invitations to artists’ studios and discussions and debates within the NPAK community, a group that is at its core an association of Armenian artists, but that extends far beyond that; during just two months there I met artists, writers and philosophers, not only from Armenia but also from Russia, Hungary, France, the US and the UK. One of the previous residents has stated, ‘I knew that if I walked to NPAK and waited long enough, I could find whoever I was looking for.’ He is right, quite literally speaking.

The original intention for my own work was to produce an editioned artist’s book addressing and interpreting aspects of contemporary literature in Armenia. So shortly before I arrived in Yerevan I was happy to learn that the writers’ group Bnagir (www.bnagir.am) actually meets at NPAK on a weekly basis. The group was encouraging when I described my project to them and inviting when I sat in on their meetings, in spite of the fact that my Armenian is practically non-existent, and the need for translation slowed the pace of their often heated, always passionate discussions.

What came up time and time again in their talks was the issue of the serious difficulties of publishing literature in Armenia today. It therefore seemed that this project should be used to expose this and at the same time to publish a selection of poetry and prose by Bnagir writers. The single artist’s book I set out to make has thus evolved into a set of volumes – one core book about the current, difficult literary climate and Bnagir itself, and several others, each including a poem or short story by one of the Bnagir writers. Vahram Matirosyan, Violet Grigoryan, Vahan Ishkhanyan and Mariné Petrossian are four of the writers; others may be added in future. Margarit Tadevosyan, a PhD student currently writing her dissertation on Nabokov at Boston College, has generously agreed to translate for us.

The way the project has expanded (and almost taken on a life of its own) means that the work is taking some time to coordinate – publication of an edition of 100 will be sometime in 2005. It seems only fitting however, that such a rich experience should take a further year or more to settle in the mind and develop into a physical object.

While in Yerevan I did find it extremely challenging to make work, as the diversions are many and the time is short; two months in Armenia is certainly, as everyone there will tell you as soon as you arrive, very little time to experience even the capital city alone. Add to that the fact that it is too hot to even move in the afternoons and the corresponding consolation of Yerevan’s all night outdoor café culture and you will find there’s precious little time for making. For me however, it was an intense period of simmering ideas and, perhaps most importantly, close personal connections. I would highly recommend it to any prospective applicant.

This project was made possible by private donors in New York and San Francisco, as well as by a contribution by NorAlik.

Artists Participation in the 2005 ACCEA Special Fundraising Initiative (.pdf)