How does one engage with the invisible, silenced and erased? How can art bear witness to the darkest moments of human history, namely, torture, violence and sexual slavery, while holding space for human connection? These questions concern the practice of Marie Khediguian…

It’s been raining a lot since I’ve come home,
fruiting mushrooms saluting the El Nino season.

Air marinated in dew greets my lungs
with a warmth opposing its expected dampness.

It’s hard to come from a placewhere you can feel wholeand land somewherethat expects you to be halved.The division is

In the post-Covid era, many people’s habits, especially work routines, have transformed, with remote work becoming increasingly common. With the

This piece is part of a research series that will be released in five parts, over a period of 5

This piece is part of a research series that will be released in five parts, over a period of 5

“The battle is not done, and there is no more retreat,” the program describes the next dance, “Battlefield.” Loud zurna and drums play as the men come onto the stage in brown taraz shirts and black pants, and Yerevan’s statue of David of Sassoun, the Armenian hero of legend, shows on the screen in the background. They perform the ancient martial dance yarkhushta49 with intensity and rhythm. The dancers jump, clap, and hit their shoulders together with incredible energy. The audience claps and cheers along. With their vocalizations and forceful movements, the dancers create a powerful energy…

Photo from Lernazang Ensemble.

The screen raises, and the curtains open for Sardarabad’s last performance of the night, a dance titled “Vaspurakan” after the region of historic Armenia centered around Lake Van. A lively song plays, with brass, strings, drums, and of course, zurna. About 20 men and women dance onto the stage wearing bright taraz44 costumes in a warm yellow-orange color with red aprons, vests, and hats with deep blue detailing. They hold hands and dance in a line, stepping, hopping, and shouting “hey!” to the music…

Photo from Lernazang Ensemble.

When Armenians still lived throughout Anatolia, a deep connection to the Armenian Highlands inspired folklore and religious belief. Mountains were the homes of dragons, the birthplaces of heroes, the earthly ancestors of the Armenian people, and even the resting place of Noah’s Ark, a belief still widely held today. Then, the perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide of 1915 took Armenians away from their mountains…

Photo from Lernazang Ensemble.

I watched it unfold on social media―months of deprivation, followed by a bloody siege and then a forced evacuation―from the

The conversations our ancestors had with the land were cut short. Discovering and revitalizing their traditional medicinal practices, anchored by

In times of unimaginable crisis, Nairy Shahinian, like many of us, turns to music. In her words, “personally, music has

Essay and artworks by Gayane Arushanian Does reality echo the chaos of our thoughts? Do we become like nature in