Armenia – A Photographers Paradise

Armenia – A Photographers Paradise

Photography is increasingly a big draw for many travelling to Armenia and the rise of the package holiday for photographers, with daily visits to some of Armenia’s astounding landscapes, are increasing common.

Unique Heritage
Armenia is a uniquely individual country and one that has a distinctive heritage where Western Asia and Eastern Europe collide to make the country an exceptional cultural experience for any traveller. Experienced photographer Arran Brody took to the Armenian mountains for his latest photography project for a major European sports brand:

He explains the uniqueness of Armenia and why it appeals to the photographer, “Armenia is one of the oldest and most beautiful countries in the world and is said to be where the Garden of Eden is located, indeed many scholars have dedicated their whole lives in its pursuit. However, whether they found it or not is up for debate nevertheless it does indicate the area is one of great beauty. Nonetheless, from a photographer’s perspective, the country offers a unique mix of landscapes to which the photographer is rarely privy.

Photographic Variety
Brody goes on to discuss how the countries unique ecosystem provides the photographer with more than he could have hoped for… “In the morning you can photograph magnificent snowy mountain ranges before heading off into sprawling desert vistas after lunch and then wade through lush, vibrant forests before bed time. It is rare to find such a varied ecosystem within the same borders and is a joy for those who see life through a lens, certainly the country is worth a visit as long has you have sufficient rolls of film… you will need them!”

Photographic Coverage
Finally, for Brody the increasing presence of travelling photographers from the west will only grow as the photographs of the Armenian landscape fill photographic galleries, books and websites.  “With Asia to the west and Europe to the East Armenia can be considered to be a clash of cultures; however the people are so unique that one might be forgiven for forgetting that you are in the heart of the South Caucasus region of Eurasia.”

Perfect Hosts
“That said, this clash of cultures ensures that the visitor is well looked after and whether you are in the heart of Yerevan, immersed in its café culture or out in the regions and the guest of a local family… you are assured of warm hospitality and excellent wine. “

“You will find the people of Armenia excellent hosts and always keen to discuss with the visitor a little of their lives and heritage, such a friendly, welcoming people.”

Photographing Olympians
Whilst photographing snowboarders for a European sports brand, Brody found himself in new photographic territory when photographing Olympic snow boarders as they defied death on some of Armenia’s deadliest virgin slopes.  

“What an experience it was to photograph these snow stars strut their stuff in the Caucasus mountains, knowing that in a couple of hours they would all be water skiing on lake Sevan, and then hitting the bars in downtown Yerevan.”

Catering for the needs of the Photographer
Arron Brody is only one of a number of professional photographers visiting the country for its unique landscapes; however, the amateur photographer is increasingly visiting the country for similar reasons also. With travel providers increasingly meeting the needs of the camera wielding tourist (and the professional photographer) the unique environment offered by Armenia will be seen by a wider audience as the images fill the galleries, websites and social media accounts across the world.

Parajanov Museum, Yerevan

Do you want to spend a relaxing morning or afternoon being immersed in the culture of an Armenian hero?  If so, why not pay a visit to the Parajanov Museum in Armenia’s capital – an homage to the Soviet filmmaker, director and artist, Sergei Parajanov.  Even if you have not heard of him, if you are interested in film and art, you will find the museum (which consists of 1,400 exhibits) enthralling.  Located at 15 and 16 Dzoragyugh Street (off Proshyan Street) in Yerevan, it is just a short walk from the centre of Yerevan.

Parajanov Museum, Yerevan

Who is Sergei Parajanov?
Sergei Parajanov was born Sarkis Hovsepi  Paradzhanian in 1924 to Armenian parents in Tbilisi, Georgia, in the USSR.  He is considered by many to be one of the greatest masters of cinema in the 20^th century and despite winning international acclaim for his work, he experienced intense discrimination from the Soviet authorities; this was mainly due to his unique cinematic style, which did not conform to the authorities’ views of ‘socialist realism’ in cinema.  Resultant periods of incarceration and suppression also led him to create some incredible and varied pieces of artwork, many of which can be viewed in the eponymous museum.

If you want to know more about Parajanov’s life, work and struggles, then you may want to read the blog, entitled Sergei Parajanov:Armenian Film-maker and Artist.

The History of the Parajanov Museum
Opened a year after Sergei Parajanov’s death, in 1991, The Parajanov Museum is one of the most popular in Yerevan and is a true testament to the genius of a man who was both a film director and artist.  Despite being founded in 1988, whilst the great man was still alive, it did not open until after his death due to the Spitak Earthquake in 1988 and emerging socio-economic problems within the region.  

The founding director of the museum is Zaven Sargasyan and it has been visited by many famous people, including: Paulo Coelho, Wim Wenders, Mikhail Vartanov, Tonino Guerra, Nikita Mikhalov, Vladimir Putin, Aleksandr Lukashenko and Donald Knuth.

The Museum and Exhibition Today
The museum is accommodated in a stunning traditional-style Caucasian building, over 2 floors, which was Parajanov’s home when he returned to Yerevan before he died.  Although small, the museum houses over 1,400 exhibits of Parajanov’s work (including installations, collages, assemblages, drawings, dolls and hats); showcases his unpublished screenplays and librettos; and is also a cultural centre in Yerevan – known for its exhibitions, publications and honorary receptions.  It also incorporates two recreated memorial rooms, original posters, festival prizes and signed letters from famous supporters and dignitaries.  

The museum is open from 10.30am until 5.00pm, every day, and costs 700 AMD to enter.  If you require a guided tour, it will cost 2,000 AMD in Armenian and 2,500 AMD in Russian, English, French or German.  It will even host private dinners, serving excellent food in the courtyard or even in the museum, for a price, upon request.

Trip Advisor Ratings and Testimonials
As previously mentioned, Matenadaran is ranked 7^th out of 34 Armenian tourist attractions on Trip Adviser, with 28 out of 37 independent reviewers giving it 5 out of 5 and 6 more giving it 4 stars out of 5.  Some of the guests said the following:

                ‘Amazing museum!’

                ‘A must!’

                ‘Loved it!’

                ‘Abstraction at its peak.’

Overall, although small, this museum is a wonderful tribute to a much beloved and important Armenian icon of cinema and art and is definitely worth a visit whilst you are there.

Sergei Parajanov: Armenian Film-maker and Artist

Considered one of the greatest masters of cinema in the 20^th century, Sergei Parajanov was born Sarkis Hovsepi  Paradzhanian in 1924, in Tbilisi, Georgia, in the USSR, to Armenian parents, Losif Parajanov and Siranush Bejanova.  He was introduced to art from a young age, as both of his parents were artistically gifted and, at 21 years of age in 1945, he attended the VGIK (one of the oldest and most highly respected film schools in Europe), entering the directing programme under the tutelage of Igor Savchenko. 

Sergei Parajanov

Early Life
In 1948, whilst studying at the film school, Parajanov was arrested for the first time by the Soviet authorities – released 3 months later under an amnesty.  After being released he continued his studies and after completing them, he became an Assistant Director at the Dovshenko Studios in Kiev, making his directorial debut in 1954 – followed with a series of short films and features, which he later dismissed as ‘garbage’.

Parajanov was married twice.  The first time, he married Nigyar Kerimova who was from a Muslim Tatar family.  She converted to Eastern Orthodox Christianity in order to marry Parajanov and, unhappily was murdered by her family as a result of her conversion.  In 1956, he was married for the second time to Svitlana Ivanivna Shcherbatiuk, who bore him a son named Suren in 1958.

Most Influential Work
In 1964, he made the film Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (a celebration of Ukranian folk culture inspired by Tarkovosky’s film Ivan’s Childhood) that won him many international awards, including a much-coveted British Academy Award.  Unfortunately for Parajanov, it was this film that saw him blacklisted in the USSR because it did not conform to Soviet cinema’s standards of ‘socialist realism’. 

Nonethless, undeterred, he visited Armenia in 1967 to film a documentary called Hakob Hovnatanyan before creating what many considered to be his masterpiece, Sayat Nova (later renamed The Colour of Pomegranate) in 1968.  Regrettably, this film was banned by the Soviet authorities and the system ensured that any further film projects were suppressed.

Incarceration and Suppression
This continued until 1973, when Parajanov was arrested for a 2^nd time by the Soviet government and sentenced to 5 years hard labour.  It was whilst he was incarcerated that he began to create doll-like sculptures, astonishingly complex collages, abstract drawings and other artwork as an artistic outlet – despite being deprived of materials by prison guards.  He actually served 4 years of his five year sentence, before a petition for his release was granted.  However, once released, the censors continued to ensure that he was kept away from cinema; so, instead, he continued to create the same sort of artwork that he had in prison and it is these pieces of artwork that are still exhibited worldwide, today.

Arrested and imprisoned in Tbilisi for the 3^rd time (on a charge of bribery) in 1982, it wasn’t until the mid-1980s (when the political climate in the USSR began to ease) that Parajanov began to resume his passion for film-making. 

The End of His Life
With support from Georgian intellectuals, he made two multi-award-winning films: Legend of Suram Fortress (1984) and Ashik Kerib (1988).  Sadly, in 1990, just as his films were starting to be shown at foreign film festivals and he was receiving long-denied but long-deserved recognition, he succumbed to lung cancer and died, aged just 64, leaving his final monumental project, The Confession, incomplete; it seems that the horrific time he had spent in the Soviet prison system had finally taken its toll.  

However, before he died, he moved back to Yerevan and started to found a museum in his own name – a museum that opened in 1991 and houses over 1,400 exhibits alongside much more.  If you would like to know more about the museum and visiting it, take a look at the blog entitled: Parajanov Museum, Yerevan.

Katya Galstyan – Cross Country Skiing – Winter Olympics Sochi 2014

Katya Galstyan is an Armenian cross country skier and has been competing in the Cross Country event at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, Russia. Born in 1993, she is only 21 years old and experiencing her first Olympic Games after making her national team debut at the World Championship in 2013.

Katya Galstyan

Beginnings
Galstyan is a full time student studying Physical Education at the Gyumri State Pedagogical Institute, Armenia. In fact, it was in Gyumri where she first took up the sport in 2008 when she was just fifteen years old. For Galstyan to take up a sport and reach an Olympic standard in just six years is an impressive feat of hard work and endurance. The highlight of her young career came in the 2012 Armenian National Championships which was held in Tsaghkadzor, Armenia where she took the gold medal with a fantastic time.

Talent
It was Slavik Sargsyan, a noted skier himself, who noticed the potential in Galstyan to become a national sporting hero and went on to become her coach and has been developing her abilities ever since.

World Championship
In 2013, Galstyan followed up on her national success by entering the world stage at the World Championships held in Val di Fiemme, Italy and was placed in 91st position posting a time of 4:39.53 in the Classic Sprint. This was a strong performance on the world stage for the then twenty year old skier from Armenia.

10Km Classic
On February 13th Galstyan took to the slopes in Sochi for the Ladies 10Km Classic and posted a time of 35:26.4 which was 7:08.6 off the pace of the race leader and it put her in 64th position overall.

Future
However, for Galstyan to be 64th in the world is an impressive feat for one so young in her first Olympic event and shows her improvement since the World Championships in 2013. Katya Galstyan is clearly one to watch for the future and expect her to a fixture of the Armenian National Team for the 2018 Winter Olympics which is to be held in South Korea.

Sergey Mikayelyan – Cross Country Skiing – Winter Olympics Sochi 2014

Sergey Mikayelyan was the Armenian flag bearer at the opening ceremony for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. For his country he will be competing in the Cross Country event in both the Men’s 15KM Classic and the endurance sapping Skiathlon.

Sergey Mikayelyan

Future
At only 21 years of age Mikayelyan has many winter Olympics ahead of him and the 2014 Sochi Games can be considered a training ground for the young Armenian skier. Realistically a medal was not anticipated, however, Mikayelyan is definitely one to watch for the future and the experience he has gained in becoming an Olympian will be invaluable in future World Championships and Olympic qualifying events.

Cross Country Skiing
Don’t let his age deceive you, Mikayelyan may only be 21 years old but he took up skiing in 2001 when he was only 9 years old and began competing in the cross country event not long after. He takes his sport seriously and trains six days a week, however he serves in the Armenian Army and they are very supportive of national sporting stars. Furthermore, his physical development was nurtured early when he was educated at the State Institute of Physical Education, Yerevan.

Family Connection
His Olympic ambitions are well rooted in his family; his mother was a well-respected cross country skier and competed at the 1998 Winter Olympic Games held in Nagano. Furthermore, his father, who Mikayelyan rates as his greatest influence on his sporting ambitions, was a multiple Armenian champion in the cross country event.

Vancouver, 2010
Given his age you would be forgiven for thinking Sochi 2014 would be Mikayelyan’s first winter Olympic Games, however you would be quite wrong as he was at the 2010 games in Vancouver, Canada. He took part in the 15Km free event and was ranked 70th overall with a time of 37.58.9, which when you consider he was only seventeen is a very impressive position. His Vancouver experience will certainly bolster his confidence as he skies across the Russian slopes in February. In addition, since 2009, Mikayelyan has won 4 lesser cross country events and was placed 8th in the Junior World Championships (under 23), Turkey in 2012.

Sochi, 2014
On February 9th Mikayelyan took to the cross country circuit to compete in the Skiathlon and posted a time of 1:13:16.6 which was 5:01 off the pace and left him in 46th place. He fared better in the 15Km Classic on the 14th February, where he posted a time of 42:39.1 which was 4:09.4 off the pace of the leader and he eventually placed in 46th place.

Whilst Mikayelyan may be disappointed with his final placing he is very young and has many Winter Olympic Games ahead of him.