ARMENIAN REPORTER
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June 23, 2007 — From the community section
To see the printed version of the newspaper, complete with photographs and
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1. Fifteen years of nation-building
* After a decade and a half, Armenia Fund’s mission in Armenia and Karabakh
is growing stronger
2. Biggest diasporan athletic games continue in Southern California (by
Maral Habeshian)
* 40,000 expected to gather for games and festival
3. Lighting of flame opens 32nd Navasartian Games (by Maral Habeshian)
4. Cosmic growth for Armenia’s Cosmic Ray Division (by Tania Ketenjian)
5. WNYE to feature a discussion of the Armenian Genocide
6. AGBU’s Ararat magazine will change its focus in 2008 (by Anoush Ter
Taulian)
* Less literary, more issues-oriented, with an eye for younger readers
7. Back to basics, with photographs that "get you in the gut" (by Talin
Suciyan)
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1. Fifteen years of nation-building
* After a decade and a half, Armenia Fund’s mission in Armenia and Karabakh
is growing stronger
NEW YORK — Fifteen years after its creation in the wake of Armenia’s
independence, Armenia Fund continues to be a vital force on two fronts:
sponsoring creative and often groundbreaking development projects in the
Republic of Armenia itself, while uniting Armenians around the world on a
coordinated effort to revive and advance their homeland.
Through its 20 globe-spanning affiliates, Armenia Fund has benefited
untold individual lives in Armenia and Karabakh. By combining aid,
development, and direct investment, Armenia Fund has been able to promote
education, create jobs, improve public health and develop infrastructure,
and attend to other humanitarian needs in Armenia. In the process, it has
worked effectively with the leaders and citizens of the "new" Armenia, as
well as with the worldwide diaspora.
The resulting contributions to social and economic activity in Armenia and
Karabakh are impressive. Armenia Fund’s $160 million investment in
sustainable development in Armenia and Karabakh makes it the largest
contributor to critical infrastructure projects in the region. Its
concentration on long-term development solutions means that its projects
have a continuing impact on individual lives.
* Celebration set for October
In acknowledgment of this record, the United Nations last year named Armenia
Fund as one of the most credible international organizations working in
Armenia and Karabakh.
The UN will also be the venue for the upcoming celebration of the fund’s
15 years of operation.
Armenia Fund’s 15th anniversary gala banquet at the United Nations
Headquarters in New York on October 6, 2007, will be an occasion to
"recognize and thank the diaspora community" for its continuing support to
Armenia and Karabakh, according to event organizers. Details of the event
are still forthcoming, but the fund’s New York-based affiliate, Armenian
Fund USA, has announced that the gala will "celebrate the tenacity of the
Armenian people and the strength of the Armenian diaspora."
Also as part of its anniversary celebration, Armenia Fund intends to
release a series of articles detailing its year-by-year progress, from its
inception to its growth into one of the leading institutions to emerge from
the independence era.
What follows is the first of these articles, portraying what the fund
calls "a story of overcoming challenges by working together; … a
celebration of humanity and hope."
* In the beginning: 1992
In 1991, having refused to participate in Soviet Premier Mikael Gorbachev’s
planned referendum on preserving the Soviet Union, the Armenian people
convened their own national referendum to determine the fate of their
country. Over 99 percent of the population approved the republic’s
commitment to independence, and a declaration of independence followed the
vote.
The modern Republic of Armenia was born.
It was a courageous choice, the fulfillment of a long-held dream to
establish an Armenian independent state, with the rights and privileges that
entails bestowed upon its citizens. Armenians throughout the world united in
a mission of "nation-building," and pledged to support the infant republic.
But despite widespread expectations for a smooth road to development and
a
balanced transfer to a market economy, harsh days awaited the Armenian
people. The disintegration of the Soviet Union not only altered the
political landscape of the region, but posed serious security issues for
Armenia. The armed conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh — which has not found a
peaceful solution up to date — triggered a war in 1992 between Armenia and
neighboring Azerbaijan.
The situation was exacerbated by Armenia’s still ongoing recovery from the
disastrous earthquake of 1988, that had left over 40 percent of Armenia’s
territory devastated, and taken a toll in countless thousands of lives. With
more than half a million people left homeless from that catastrophe, and
facing political instability internally and externally, an economic blockade
of its eastern and western frontiers, and an ongoing war, Armenia’s recovery
almost ground to a halt.
The crisis deepened when, as a result of the transportation blockade, most
of the industrial activity in the country shut down, factories were
liquidated, and energy supplies and service were disrupted. These and other
factors contributed to widespread impoverishment for many people. A time of
trial had begun for Armenia: enduring more than the "usual" growing pains of
a new nation, Armenia was fighting for its very survival.
Under these harsh circumstances, Armenia’s first President, Levon
Ter-Petrosian, issued a special decree establishing the "Hayastan"
All-Armenian Fund in April of 1992. The idea was that Armenia needed to
combine the efforts and resources of the diaspora, and direct these in a
coordinated way to rebuild and strengthen the foundations of its newfound
statehood.
This was the mission entrusted to Armenia Fund.
Its initial mandate was to meet the country’s basic humanitarian needs.
But Armenia Fund quickly became a unified voice for diaspora Armenians
around the world, who saw the possibilities in correctly assessing and
addressing Armenia’s core development needs, so that the republic could be
helped to stand on its own feet.
Armenia Fund’s first major initiative was the $22 million "Winter
Humanitarian Project," which alleviated the pressing material and social
needs of a brutally cold winter. In a time of electricity and gas
disruptions across the country, the fund provided heating supplies and
generally helped to stem what could have become a larger humanitarian
crisis.
During the same period, the fund initiated a home-building program to
provide accommodations to those left without shelter in the wake of the
earthquake in Gyumri, Vanadzor, Stepanavan, and Spitak.
The diaspora’s help to Armenia in this time was hardly restricted to
humanitarian aid. Armenia became the focus of major investments and more
strategic developmental visions. Various non-governmental organizations
sprang up and set to work with specific missions to address concrete issues.
Among the grassroots communities, a sense of moral responsibility towards
the survival and prosperity of Armenia emerged.
Armenia Fund USA, with its international affiliates around the world and
with the All-Armenian Fund in Yerevan, focused its own efforts on providing
sustainable socio-economic development through large-scale infrastructure
projects. These would eventually include health care centers and clinics,
major roads and highways, schools and cultural centers, drinking and
irrigation water systems, and housing development.
Further initiatives of the fund moved into the area of capacity-building
programs, with a special emphasis on rural development and economic
revitalization. But these are stories for future articles.
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2. Biggest diasporan athletic games continue in Southern California
* 40,000 expected to gather for games and festival
by Maral Habeshian
GLENDALE, Calif. — The Homenetmen Navasartian Games officially opened on
Sunday, May 6, with the lighting and transporting of the flame that lit the
Navasartian Games torch. Now in their 32nd year, the two-month-long athletic
tournament attracts thousands of athletes and even greater number of fans
and spectators.
Naturally the Navasartian Games don’t end with just athletics. This is
especially apparent in the days leading to the bustle of the closing
ceremonies when a variety of events take place. Thousands of area Armenians
(more than 40,000) partake in the festivities, including a five-day
festival, the exquisite Victory Ball, and the grand closing ceremonies.
Set for July 6, the Navasartian Victory Ball has always been the last and
impressive finish to the games, now in their 32nd year. This year, under the
honorary presidency of Varouj Bedikian, the ball will not only celebrate the
many triumphs of the games, but will also unite Homenetmen’s many supporters
— individuals, affiliate organizations, local representatives of various
organizations, as well as the great Homenetmen family.
In order to jump-start this year’s events, over a hundred guests and
Homenetmen leadership gathered at Minx restaurant in Glendale on Sunday,
June 10, to kick off the Navasartian Victory Ball.
Highlights included a formal announcement of this year’s Navasartian
Honorary President Bedikian, and 32nd Navasartian Games Exemplary Homenetmen
member, Y. Nigol Arzoumanian.
Mr. Bedikian is a longtime Homenetmen member and community activist who
owns GBH Communications, a leader in business conference solutions boasting
Microsoft, Aetna, Harvard, and Stanford universities among its many clients.
On the occasion of his presidency, Mr. Bedikian donated $50,000 to the
organization, reported Homenetmen’s Regional Executive Committee.
Mr. Arzoumanian, a dedicated member of Homenetmen for most of his life,
has been an executive committee member and athletic director of the Los
Angeles for years on end.
"A lot of what I have learned in Homenetmen, I have learned from Nigol; he
has been an inspiration for all of us. His unwavering commitment to
Homenetmen and the community is simply exemplary as is the involvement of
his children Souren and Hratch," explained Regional Executive Committee
(REC) chair Steve Artinian.
The REC also announced that longtime Homenetmen members and supporters
Varant and Hoori Melkonian would be banquet sponsors of the 32nd Navasartian
Victory Ball.
Guests included past honorary presidents, chapter executive committee
members, Y. Levon Tashdjian from Lebanon, and other faithful supporters.
The Navasartian Victory Ball will take place on Friday, July 6, at the
Universal Sheraton in Universal City. One of the highlights of the ball will
be the transfer of honor from the last year’s honorary presidents Mr. & Mrs.
Hovsep and Elizabeth Boyadjian to Mr. Bedikian. Mike Postian and his band
will present the evening’s musical entertainment.
Organized literally alongside this year’s Victory Ball, a separate dance
party for youth will be held at the Universal Sheraton this year. Organizers
pledge the event will be short on formality but long on fun.
The games are expected to attract more than 4,000 athletes competing in
basketball, soccer, volleyball, tennis, table tennis, swimming, track and
field, and chess. In basketball alone, 233 girls’ and boys’ teams are
expected to compete in at least 550 games. They will be held at Birmingham
High School located at 17000 Haynes in Van Nuys, Calif.
The tournaments will continue through Saturday, July 7, and will culminate
in the closing ceremony at 6:30 P.M. at Birmingham High School .
connect:
818-244-3868
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3. Lighting of flame opens 32nd Navasartian Games
by Maral Habeshian
GLENDALE, Calif. — The 32nd Navasartian Games officially opened on Sunday,
May 6, with a ceremony at the grand cross stone that sits before St. Mary’s
Armenian Apostolic Church in Glendale.
Besides the many members and fans of Homenetmen, also on hand were
Armenia’s vice consul general in Los Angeles Sahag Sarkissian, 31st
Navasartian Games Honorary Presidents Hovsep and Elizabeth Boyadjian,
vice-chair of ARS Western Region Garine Parigian-Setian, Prelacy Executive
Council member Nerses Melkonian, past Exemplary Homenetmen awardees,
numerous parents and athletic directors.
The flag ceremony was conducted by Glendale Ararat Homenetmen members who
escorted the flags of the United States, Armenia, Artsakh, California,
Homenetmen, and the Navasartian Games. Following them was a group of
athletes — representatives of the 17 chapters in the Western Region — as
well as member of Armenian Technology Group (ATG), cyclists at heart who
rode their bikes to the event, headed by past Honorary Navasartian President
Vatche Soghomonian.
Vasken Atmajian, parish priest of St. Mary’s Armenian Church in Glendale,
in blessing the flame that will eventually light the torch of the popular
games, conveyed blessings from Archbishop Mousegh Mardirossian, Prelate, and
his message: "May the flame of Navasartian Games always remain lit in our
hearts, and may nothing obstruct it because it is the voice of our people.
It will always enlighten us, especially our children."
Homenetmen Regional Executive Council’s vice-chair Hovig Bedevian
announced the games would run until the first weekend in July and attract
more than 4,000 athletes competing in basketball, soccer, volleyball,
tennis, table tennis, swimming, track and field, and chess. The annual Games
draw nearly 40,000 spectators and feature a festival that attracts a variety
of businesses and organizations, and boasts a massive closing ceremony.
While the first annual Navasartian Games were held in 1975 before only a
few hundred spectators and a handful of athletes, the games now attract over
300 teams from the organization’s chapters in the western United States.
"These games are unique in our community in that they not only unite
thousands of youth, but also instill in them the purity of our Armenian
spirit," Bedevian told the crowd.
On behalf of ATG, Vatche Soghomonian congratulated the start of the games
and explained the mission of his group to help guide Armenia toward food and
agricultural self-sufficiency. Based in the agricultural heartland of
California, ATG has brought together the expertise of farmers, agronomists,
and veterinarians to help Armenia meet the challenges of independence. Avid
cyclists (all Homenetmen members) have joined the drive to raise funds for
ATG by riding through the countryside of Armenia. Soghomonian started the
trend in 1999 by riding from Stepanakert to Yerevan.
After, Rev. Atmajian blessed the flame that will light the Navasartian
torch, the REC’s Bedevian turned it over to the athletes, and proclaimed the
start of the games.
Led by Navasartian Games committee chair Vartkes Shkherdemian, the
athletes took the flame to Glendale Ararat’s center where Homenetmen Western
Region’s 29th convention was being held, and passed it on to chair Steve
Artinian.
The Navasartian Games will take place every weekend leading up their
dynamic conclusion, July 3-7 at Birmingham High School, which promises the
regular fanfare of closing ceremonies, and an ever-expanding festival.
* * *
The Armenian Reporter will also participate in the Navasartian festival this
year. In addition to our extensive coverage over the next few weeks,
Reporter staffers will be present at the games and festival. Stop by the
Reporter booth, pick up free copies of the paper, subscribe, and enter to
win free subscriptions, tchotchkes, a full year of Armenia TV/Dish Network
service, and two round-trip tickets to Armenia with accommodations.
********************************* ******************************************
4. Cosmic growth for Armenia’s Cosmic Ray Division
by Tania Ketenjian
PALO ALTO, Calif. — How was the universe created? What are particles in
space actually doing? How are stars dying, and how quickly? At what stage of
life is the sun, and how does the environment in space affect us here on
earth?
These are some of the topics that Anahid Yeremian has become familiar with
through her involvement with the Cosmic Ray Division of Armenia’s Alikhanian
Physics Institute.
The Cosmic Ray Division is an Armenia-based organization founded in the
1940s by two world-renowned physicists, the Alikhanian brothers. Anahid is
the co-founder of the Support Committee for Armenia’s Cosmic Ray Division
(SCACRD) here in the U.S., and works as a physicist at Stanford University.
Last month, the Cosmic Ray Division took a leap forward when India joined
SEVAN, the Space Environmental Viewing and Analysis Network, led by the
Cosmic Ray Division, or CRD. Through the SEVAN project, CRD scientists in
Armenia will design portable, state-of-the-art space weather detectors,
which will be placed in countries around the earth’s circumference for an
extensive program of space weather observation, analysis, and forecasting.
When the Cosmic Ray Division was founded in the 1940s, the Alikhanian
brothers were already quite famous and their contribution to physics remains
valuable to this day. Near Yerevan there stands the mountain Mt. Aragats,
and the brothers decided that its altitude (13,500 feet) made it perfect for
studying cosmic rays. It is also perfectly situated between the North Pole
and the Equator.
The Alikhanians presented their project to the Soviet government and
received its approval. Artem Alikhanian became the person in Armenia who
dealt with the daily science and construction of the institute. Abram
Alikhanian worked out of Moscow. In 1940s, the scientists would take their
tents and equipment to the mountain on donkeys, pitch their tents and study
cosmic rays. However, by 1954, several buildings had been erected to house
the equipment and staff, so that the scientists could stay there for weeks
at a time.
Now, the current head of the Cosmic Ray Division, Ashot Chilingarian, and
the Cosmic Ray Division scientists shuttle their lives between spending time
on the mountain collecting data on cosmic rays, and analyzing it in Yerevan.
Professor Chilingarian also teaches students at Yerevan State University.
* The life-cycle of stars
Still, for the layman the question remains: What exactly does the Cosmic Ray
Division do?
One of its fundamental and initial goals was simply to study how the
universe came into being. According to Anahid Yeramian, particles and
radiation that come from space and from distant stars carry information
about the life-cycle of stars. Through this, information about our universe
and its processes is revealed.
The Cosmic Ray Division has also focused on the star closest to us: the
sun. Studying the sun is part of the process of studying space weather.
"Space weather" refers to the particles coming from space, such as magnetic
storms and cosmic rays. The reason space weather is so important —
particularly the space weather created by the sun — is that it can affect
life on earth.
The sun is spinning so quickly that the cloud of particles emitted from it
can be more that 60 times the diameter of the earth. Some solar flare loops
are 150,000 miles long. Sometimes, the sun’s magnetic field attracts the
particles back to the sun, but some escape and end up reaching the earth’s
atmosphere. The severity with which this happens depends on the severity of
events on the sun.
If one could predict when particles and various radiation and plasma
clouds were going to reach the earth, it would be like being able to
forecast a hurricane. We could set up measures here on earth to protect
ourselves. A large quantity of such particles or clouds reaching the earth
would interfere with satellite guidance systems, communication, power
stations — and have serious consequences for important aspects of human
life.
When the Cosmic Ray Division was established, the interest in atoms and
the atom bomb was at its peak. To create an atom bomb, one has to understand
how particles behave, and the easiest way to understand particles is by
observing high energy particles in space. This was the motivation behind the
Soviet government’s willingness to spend money on Mt. Argats, during a
period when the USSR was undergoing the financial crisis of the Second World
War.
However, the Alikhanian brothers were on more a fundamental quest: To
discover what the universe we are a part of really is — and how it affects
us.
* The power of the "Armenian mind"
Anahid Yeremian had these same questions when she entered the world of
physics. Her curiosity continues to this day.
Born in Armenia, Anahid and her entire family immigrated to the U.S. in
1968. She attended high school and university here, and is now an
accelerator physicist at Stanford University.
It’s her commitment to Armenia and her love for physics that keep her
involved with the Cosmic Ray Division — and motivates her to find support
for the CRD in America.
Yeramian values the power of the "Armenian mind." "You have to continue
from one generation to the next: learn from the past and transfer that
knowledge to the new folks. Ashot Chilingarian is doing just that, and we
expect our next generation will build on his work."
Chilingarian, like the Alikhanian brothers before him, is one of the
world’s most respected physicists. He spends his weeks teaching and
lecturing in Yerevan, and on weekends scrambles up Mt. Aragats, gathers
data, analyzes it, collaborates with other cosmic ray stations, and makes
sense of the information gathered.
As head of the Cosmic Ray Division, he manages about 80 scientists,
engineers, technicians, students, and support personnel who conduct cutting
edge research on cosmic rays, high energy physics, and solar phenomena. The
goal is to be able to predict space weather well in advance of it affecting
the earth — "well in advance" means at least 30 to 60 minutes — so that
necessary actions can be taken to avoid the interruption of the services on
which human beings and human society increasingly rely.
As Anahid Yeramian would say, Chilingarian has followed in the footsteps
of the Alikhanian brothers. And through his teaching and example, he has
laid the groundwork for the next generation to follow in his.
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5. WNYE to feature a discussion of the Armenian Genocide
NEW YORK — The radio talk-show "Matters of Conscience" will air a special
hour devoted to the Armenian Genocide on Saturday, June 23.
The weekly program hosted by a Greek Orthodox priest, Monsignor Eugene
Pappas, will be broadcast throughout the New York metro area on Brooklyn’s
WNYE station (91.5 FM) between 1 and 2 p.m.
Pappas will discuss the Armenian Genocide, the pending Congressional
resolution relating to it, as well as the countries which have and have not
recognized the Genocide.
"I want to discuss the whole historicity of the Armenian Genocide," said
Msgr. Pappas in an interview with the Armenian Reporter. "This is not a
myth; it’s a fact. Today we’re speaking of a genocide in Darfur, but we have
to know what happened to the Armenians. And we have to ask, Why has this
episode been obliterated from history?"
Joining in the conversation will be local community activists Sam Azadian
and Mitchell Donian, and historian Aram Arkun, who specializes in the
Genocide period. It was Donian who suggested the topic as a suitable one for
Msgr. Pappas’ show, which deals with political, ethical, and moral questions
— "Anything facing the nation or the world," in the host’s words.
The Saturday broadcast will depart from the usual "Matters of Conscience"
format, which generally involves a live discussion featuring two opposing
points of view, and a call-in feature. The Genocide program, however, will
be pre-recorded, without any outside callers. "I want to devote the whole
hour to the issue," said Msgr. Pappas.
The biggest departure will be the absence of any spokesman for a "second
point of view." As Pappas explained: "Generally I have two opposing sides to
the argument. But this time I don’t want any opposing side, because they’re
liars."
He expects the show to be "very lively and very informative."
Msgr. Pappas — an ecumenical officer with the Greek Orthodox Diocese of
Brooklyn who has been a priest for 42 years — started the weekly talk show
eight years ago on the New York City-owned public radio station.
He said that after the June 23 Genocide program, he would be interested in
"revisiting the topic in a few weeks, pending the outcome of the
Congressional resolution."
"Matters of Conscience" will air its hour-long Armenian Genocide
discussion on Saturday, June 23, beginning at 1 p.m., on WNYE radio, 91.5FM.
– C.H.Z.
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6. AGBU’s Ararat magazine will change its focus in 2008
* Less literary, more issues-oriented, with an eye for younger readers
by Anoush Ter Taulian
NEW YORK — Ararat magazine, the international quarterly of Armenian
literature published by the Armenian General Benevolent Union, is changing
its format and focus. The announcement was made in a letter circulated to
subscribers last month.
Aris Sevag, a translator and former managing editor of the Armenian
Reporter, who recently joined the staff at AGBU’s New York headquarters, is
joining Ararat as its managing editor. He said: "The AGBU is changing the
orientation of Ararat from a primarily literary magazine into a magazine
which will include many more nonfiction articles on contemporary issues. The
goal is to attract a broader audience."
Ararat and AGBU will be holding a "brainstorming" session with young
professionals to hear their ideas and obtain their participation in the
magazine.
Before these changes take place, subscribers will receive the final two
old-format issues. The Summer 2006 edition has an exclusive interview with
Karabakh’s President Arkady Ghoukasian, a report on the front-line soldiers
of Karabakh (by the Armenian Reporter’s Washington editor Emil Sanamyan), an
article on the process of the creation of the Armenian Genocide Museum in
Washington, the story of a Finnish-Swedish woman and her love for an
Armenian writer, and an analysis of the question of language and liturgy in
the Armenian Church.
Current subscribers will also receive the Fall 2006 issue, which is a
special issue devoted to California writers. Guest editors Mark Arax and
Aris Janigian have compiled photography and new poetry by California
Armenians, as well as pieces on theater, film, and rappers — all of which
reveal the energy and vitality of this young community.
The same issue will also feature a piece on insurance companies and the
Armenian Genocide.
Aram Arkun, the editor-in-chief of Ararat, said, "Ararat has served an
important role in bringing together Armenian writers and giving them a
worldwide voice. It is an award-winning magazine that has translated
Armenian writers who are not otherwise available to English language
readers; and it’s recently published interviews and writings of prominent
Armenians such as board members Peter Balakian, Mark Arax, and Diana
Der-Hovanessian; writer/actor Eric Bogosian, and novelists Micheline
Aharonian Marcom, Gary Braver, and Arthur Nercessian. Ararat has gotten
scoops such as a pre-publication excerpt from the new novel of Elif Shafak,
the Turkish writer who was taken to court because a character in this work
of fiction mentioned the Armenian Genocide."
"Ararat already has been providing information and analysis on current
political and social issues in Armenia and the diaspora from a unique and
engaging perspective," Arkun continued. "With its new focus and with the
encouragement of AGBU, Ararat will continue to be a source of fine
literature, but it will predominantly showcase works of nonfiction. Aside
from appealing to a younger audience interested in finding sophisticated and
lively thinking, Ararat may also serve as a useful learning tool for
teachers who want to expose students to Armenian issues and culture. It is
already available in many universities and major libraries throughout the
world, but we want to see more Armenian-Americans of all ages reading about
and engaging with ideas that could and sometimes should be part of their
culture and lives."
Ararat was founded in 1960 and is the longest-lived major English-language
magazine of Armenian culture in America. Back issues featuring articles on
Armenian archaeology, Armenian jazz musicians, and many other topics —
including the special issue devoted to prolific writer and former Ararat
editor Leo Hamalian — are available for purchase.
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7. Back to basics, with photographs that "get you in the gut"
by Talin Suciyan
ISTANBUL-"All the pictures in ‘Coast’ are taken near the thin and long line
that separates sea and land. . . . But ‘Coast’ is not about the seashore. It
is about love, affection, death, moments, things that change every moment,
and thing that don’t; it is about the coast between heaviness and the
lightness of being."
These words belong to Silva Bingaz. She was born in Malatya in 1967 to an
Armenian family. Bingaz started photography as an amateur in 1998. Her first
work was a slide show titled, "Where if not at home?" in 2001. This work led
her to another story, the story of an Iraqi refugee woman, Beyan, on which
Bingaz worked for three years. Since 2002 she has been working on a
long-term project called "Coast." She first started taking pictures in
Yesilköy (a district of Istanbul, where she lives), Burgaz (one of the
Princes’ Islands), Gökçeada (one of the two islands belonging to Turkey in
the Aegean Sea, which was populated by Greeks), Asos (a historical town on
the shore of Aegean Sea), Gökova (a town in the south Aegean), and
Marseille. "Coast" has been exhibited in Austria, Macedonia, Bulgaria, and
Greece, and will be exhibited in Poland, France, and Spain.
"Coast" is now on exhibit in Istanbul, in the framework of ULISfotoFest,
the first international festival of photography organized in Turkey. The
Swedish photographer Anders Petersen, whom some consider a living legend of
photography, was at the inauguration of the exhibition. According to him,
Bingaz’s photography gets you in the gut. She captured the idea "back to
basics" very well and her photographs question her identity as a human in
each frame.
Q: Tell us, how did the "Coast" project start and how did it evolve?
A: I was taking photographs of reflections from the water and sea in 2001
in Yesilköy (on the shore of the Sea of Marmara, densely populated with
Armenians. Yesilköy used to be a Greek village called Aya Stefanos). In the
rapid change of environment, as a result of urban restructuring and because
of artificially created beaches, old nice gardens and houses were destroyed.
As a result, Yesilköy has become a part of the big city and people started
to pour in, to these artificially created beaches. With the sadness I had
because of the loss of old houses and gardens, I started to walk looking at
the ground and taking photographs of the reflections on the water and the
sea. My idea was to turn the artificially created coast upside down.
Starting from 2002 I decided to photograph the people who were coming to
Yesilköy from the rest of the city. Then I photographed in other coasts as
well. And thus, "Coast" was not anymore the coast of Yesilköy. Abstracting
the coast it turned out to be the coast of existence.
Q: The coast of existence?
A: I formed the coast according to the most basic ways of existence. The
ways of existences of women, men, and animals. Taking photographs on the
seashore helped me a lot in this sense, because the seashore has a more
natural atmosphere, people feel more comfortable, more naked than in daily
life in the city; there are fewer status quos there. Therefore you can get
to a deeper point. Photographing men was very interesting to me because
their reaction was only related to the fact that a woman was taking pictures
of them. Nature has softened them and they were not looking at a woman from
their regular status quos.
Q: You were taking pictures of women before "Coast."
A: Yes, I was taking pictures of women until the "Coast" project. But I
should say that I photographed men the way I wanted to see them. That is to
say, there is again a feminist perspective. Not with their power and "grid
on," but with their most basic attraction and animal instincts. More full of
love, passionate, and waiting men.
Q: First there were women in your photographs and then men came in. Did
this process impact on photographing women later on?
A: In this project, it was more difficult to work with women. Because
there are more men on the seashores of Turkey than women. And I discovered
that woman were not able to be natural. Even under the burning sun, they
wanted to be like models. They were the women of modern times. As opposed to
women, men were more like symbolizing something from the past.
Q: Do you feel yourself at the coast of anything recently? Considering the
social changes we go through or personal changes.
A: The feeling of belonging has very deep roots in me. Despite this fact,
the feeling that I might have been forced to live like a constant migrant is
the feeling that I feel more at the coast of. When I first started "Coast,"
I had a very strong feeling of being established. I thought I will live all
my life in Yesilköy, passing through the same streets. Yet, later I found
out, if I want to continue to be a photographer, I should be a bit migrant.
Of course political developments have a very important impact on this
feeling. The political situation in Turkey causes you to feel like loosing
your ground. Before, I was not uncomfortable with my name where I hang out
my shingle [Bingaz is also a dentist], but now I am. I am looking at my
surrounding; thinking whether or not we will still be here in 50 years time.
Will we have the same shining spring next year? Will our house be here in
its place? Will my workplace exit? Will we have problems because of what we
have said? These are the questions in my mind.
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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
