Cultural memory as “Resistance to Erasure” has been a recurring topic in the Armenian press lately. The tragedy of Artsakh and the fear of further loss of our ancestral land has made the focus on erasure inevitable. It could be argued that if we cannot hold on to the land, we can at least hold on to the memory of the place by preserving its cultural heritage and by keeping alive our identity as Armenians.
One such recent attempt is the “House Culture” series on Armenia’s House Museums produced by CivilNet, one of the leading media outlets in Armenia. There is indeed something unique about visiting a House Museum. Immersing oneself in the everyday life of an artist, while experiencing the richness and the beauty of a lived history, creates a strong desire in the viewer to protect the legacy and to pass it down to future generations.
The series comprises five short films hosted by writer and filmmaker Christopher Atamian who was invited to Armenia by CivilNet to write, narrate and to co-produce the films. These films take us into the most intimate space, the home, of five of our most revered poets and artists. The stories, written by Atamian in his signature elegant style, are packed with fascinating details about the artists and the times they lived in. These narratives resonate with us because they make our tragic past relevant to our current reality of loss and displacement.
Each video in the series excels with its beauty and is a favorite in its own unique way. The elegance of the original furnishings in the Yeghishe Charents House Museum, kept as they were arranged in the poet’s lifetime, is unmatched. The peaceful picturesque village of Zangakatun, where Paruyr Sevak was born and where he spent his youth, brings one even closer to the purity and the beauty of the poet we all adore. Avetik Isahakyan, whose poems have become the lyrics of many of our popular songs, lures us with his lyricism and his insights into the truths of life.
All five stories touch the viewer deeply. The in-depth knowledge of the museum directors and the researchers interviewed in the films, their articulateness and their passion for what they do jump out at the viewer and evidence that the memory is still alive. Beautiful cinematography also greatly enhances the stories. Atamian credits the camera persons (Tigran Margaryan, Gevorg Haroyan, Ani Balayan), the editor (Ani Balayan) and the producers (Hasmik Hovhanissyan, Maria Yeghiazaryan, with Salpi Ghazarian as supervising producer) for the successful outcome of the series. “Ultimately it is thanks to the team in Yerevan that they turned out so well,” he affirms.
Perhaps closest to my heart is the footage depicting the anthropologist and artist Lusik Aguletsi, displaced from her village of Verin Agulis in Nakhichevan, the enclave in Armenia ceded to Azerbaijan by Soviet Russia in the early nineteen twenties. One would think that the portrait of an unknown woman — unknown to me at least — would fade against the startling originality of the visionary filmmaker Sergei Parajanov or the energy of every Armenian’s beloved poets Charents and Sevak. Yet, Lusik stands tall amongst these giants of enormous power and influence.
