BERBERIAN HONORS LIVES LOST

Photography teacher Rouzanna Berberian was one of several artists featured in Glendale’s artistic commemoration of the 2020 Artsakh War – entitled Shelter – was visible until Sunday, Jan. 29. Working alongside the Armenian artist group “She Loves Collective,” Berberian’s installation was installed in early December. Featuring handtied ribbons with embroidered names of the fallen soldiers, the art installation mourns the loss of Armenian troops in the war.

The group focuses on social justice movements and expressing themselves as artists over issues throughout the world; they use mediums from the visual arts to performances to engage local communities. The installation was planned by the collective, which Berberian has been a part of for eight years.

The Artsakh War, which occurred in 2020, revealed the tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan. For Armenian forces, the 44 day battle led to the loss of just under 4,000 Armenian soldiers over issues such as social injustice and border conflicts.

Glendale has the largest Armenian population outside of Armenia itself. The city contacted the She Loves Collective to create a memorial and place of closure and reflection from the war after complaints from Glendale’s Armenian community over a lack of mourning location.

“Each ribbon represents one name. We cut the ribbons by size alongside volunteers over 21 days where we hand stamped every fallen soldiers’ name,” Berberian said. “The

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exhibition is called Shelter because we helped create a shelter for the soldiers under a government that failed to protect them.”

The four room installation includes the ribbon artwork, a black and white video with a spoken-word poem, a photography room with sentimental photos from Armenia, and cleansing elements such as salt and lava rocks.

AP Photography student Basil How participated alongside the She Loves Collective to add to the installation. On Saturday, Jan. 14, How led an origami workshop for participants to aid visitors in creating flowers for the art piece after the curator of the exhibition reached out for How’s assistance and artistic vision.

“As the hours went by I got used to instructing how to fold the tulips. It was an engaging experience as I got to teach a lot of people, including some of my friends and staff from SPHS,” How said. “The origami tulip represents growth and rebirth which correlated with the installation.”

The silver tulips created during How’s workshop were interwoven into the existing installation. The tulips were tied to the end of the ribbons and were one of several workshops occurring throughout the weekends that the installation was active.

The installation has sought to inform the Glendale community on the border crisis occurring in Armenia. Berberian’s exhibition closed with a candlelight vigil on Sunday, Jan. 29, where Berberian and other Armenian artists reacted to the border blockades with performance art while mourning the lives lost. The collective will continue to explore their artistic endeavors through future projects.

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