the show is hung! 21 june 2010

incredible. the show is up (click on poster image to see larger version).
smokers move outside and under the stairs at naregatsi for their cigarette breaks. in a country where almost everyone smokes everywhere, this was notable.
blown glass entrance door to the naregatsi art institute

the naregatsi art institute is a very active cultural center and the gallery's 4th wall is not enclosed, i.e., facing onto the seating for the musical performances. last night while hanging the installation i was told as the lights were being turned off that there was a 7pm concert. i moved into the office and continued cutting lengths of 12 lb. fishing wire with a young classical pianist performing in the background. while it broke the rhythm of my work it was actually quite lovely.

by 2am i had finished hanging the forms on 6 of the 12 wires each wire across the room short side to short side represents a month.
i had had some help from 4 of susanna's students for a few hours in the afternoon but they each had previous plans so could not stay. beno and ernest had hung the wires from unsecured pipes resting on the type of "L" hook one hangs a plant from in front of a window.
there was an 11:30am concert this morning thus could not begin work until 1pm.
geghecik (one susanna's students and a recent grad who had helped a couple of hours yesterday surprised me by coming in today around 2pm. image below) she stayed until 9pm and her help and problem solving abilities are the reason that i was able to leave tonight around midnight with the show hung.
for a few hours late afternoon we shared the area of the naregatsi with young instrumentalists learning armenian traditional (?folk) music. it was great. in fact
geghecik took video of it as i hung forms but not sure how to get it up on this blog.
the posters are up around town, the bottles of wine bought and movses drove me to the naregatsi with the work yesterday, and in addition to other efforts susanna's facebook page is getting the word out.
image above: nothers poster at the club restaurant, yerevan

i am very excited. below is the brochure (thanks to the support of Thomas Mittnacht, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Embassy in Armenia). click on each page and then use the magnifying glass icon.
o.k. did not want the opening to happen without giving you and idea of what the exhibit is about. but now, to sleep. and as a very large mosquito has been buzzing around me since i got back to the hostel and i have not been able to kill it i cannot wait to jump under my mosquito-netted bottom bunk bed.

hope to share more with you as the week goes on. please also know that while i have been terrible at responding to e-mail i very much appreciate your writing and the news. and while a blog is totally self serving in that it is but a monologue to talk about what is happening in my life, i do care very much about what is going on in your lives.

later, suzi