Collaboration

Rehabilitation toys

In 2002, as a result the collaboration between NCA and German organization Fördern durch Spielmittel – Spielyeug für behinderte Kinder e. V. (Toys for Children’s Rehabilitation) a design-laboratory was established in Child Development Center of Malatia-Sebastia community. Students were given the opportunity to try their skills in different creative domains, such as modelling of rehabilitation toys, and games for children with special needs. Students used their works and ideas to participate in numerous international seminars in Germany, China, Italy, etc. One of the important initiatives was the first international symposium “Toys for Rehabilitation of Children”, workshop and exhibition took place in 2005 in Yerevan at the Childrens art museum. These events were organized with support of NCA, Fördern durch Spielmittel – Spielyeug für behinderte Kinder e. V. (Toys for Children’s Rehabilitation) German organization, Child Protection Programs of “World Vision Armenia” Open Society Institute and Armenian National Commission for UNESCO.

My Friend Biennale

Interactive and kinetic installation “100 Revolving flowers”
The work consists of 200 pieces of light weighting lids from square plastic containers drawn by children and teenagers. Crossed with each other, these 200 pieces were transformed into 100 quadrilateral flower-looking cross-type objects. Conceptually, these 100 flowers have carried on them the dreams, positions, desires and vision about the world imagined and drawn by Armenian children. Each flower connects back to a bite of memory and imagery of a child by offering transparent four sides of an object to communicate and share these desires and thoughts.
100 flower-objects have been presented outside, next to the harbour so the wind of Çhannakale would make the flowers turn and revolve. During the opening the public was asked to choose a “flower” and to walk to the main venue of the Biennale exhibition and to install them there.

Animations
The second project screened five animations done by children from 8 to 11 years old. The main concept was how they see and envision the conversation with the little human (they named it like that) inside them. It has been an amazing process to discover how each child has undergone through phases of exploring and determining his or her self and how it triggered creativity and imagination into them.

Art for my neighbour
In frame of a collaboration between Armeina and Turkey in 2014-2015. Armine Hovhannisyan and Erdinç Alnıak, an art-teacher from Çannakale, also involved in the Children Biennale, established a project together called “Art for my neighbour” (supported by Hrant Dink Foundation Travel Grants). The concept of the project was based on how to work with the idea of neighbour and to perform it by neighbours ourselves by leading workshops in Yerevan for Armenian and in Çannakale for Turkish children. During the workshop they did a collaborative work between Armenian and Turkish children – Armine Armenian students asked to draw the half of a paper, and sent it to Erdinç, who asked his Turkish students to draw the second half. The results were impressive and very touching, because they felt each other so much without seeing and meeting with each other.

I have finger in the pie
This project also was a part of a Çanakkale International Children Biennial. The main concept was: “We are different and we love our differences. We believe that we may be friends despite all boundaries. We know that we can end wars and bring peace every corner of the World together. We have fingers in this pie, too”. Children asked to draw chosen character on finger and decorate it with every colour, materials and objects. As a result on wall at the biennial exhibition hall was covered by photos of different kind of fingers.

Project supervisor: Armine Hovhannisyan

The Martyrdom of St. Shushanik

The book-album “Shushanik, the Queen of Kartli” includes the best works of young artists of Armenia, Georgia and Artsakh and dedicates to the story of great martyr Shushanik.

More than one and a half millennium ago was written this wonderful work, describing touching story of the life and tragic death of St. Shushanik. The author was Vicar Agop Curtavetsi, Shushanik confessor and faithful companion during her life in recent years. “St. Shushanik testimony” has survived to the present day in two languages – Georgian and Armenian. This book talks about the details of St. Shushanik impeccable behavior, his sufferings and spiritual feats. It is also a valuable source for covering the second half of the V century history of Kartli and Armenia.