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BEDFORD PHOTOGRAPHER CAPTURES ARMENIAN LIFESTYLES
by Tom Vartabedian
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2012/09/13/bedford-photographer-captures-armenian-lifestyles/
September 13, 2012
WINCHESTER, Mass.-The hidden treasures of everyday life are carefully
recorded by Bedford photographer Astrid Reischwitz, who finds a
special kinship to Armenians.
Photographer Astrid Reischwitz Reischwitz recently spent hours with
Stephen Dulgarian, whose Chelmsford home reverberates with Armenian
books and artifacts.
Dulgarian opened his collection to the photographer, who found it
replete with abstract art.
Much of it will be part of an exhibit Sept. 6-23 at Griffin Museum
of Photography, located at 67 Shore Rd., titled "Photography Atelier
16." Also on exhibit will be the work of artist Bob Avakian.
"Being of German ancestry, I can relate very much to the turmoil
experienced by Armenians during their 1915 genocide through my own
grandparents and ancestors who were in concentration camps," said
Reischwitz. "Armenians have a story to tell through their personal
belongings and there is much which can be revealed to the naked eye."
Objects like books, telephones, old records, and picture frames were
carefully exposed through her insight.
"They remind us that all things simultaneously are present in this
world yet are at risk of vanishing if we don't preserve them," said
Reischwitz. "It amazes me that after a genocide, people like Stephen
Dulgarian still cling to their past with reverence."
Reischwitz is close friends with photographer Sona Gevorkian, who
helped promote her exhibit on Armenian photography at the Bedford
Library last year. Gevorkian happens to be Dulgarian's daughter,
and thus, a connection was made to photograph his archives for this
exhibit.
Prominently displayed in the collage are an array of genocide books
and a poignant glimpse of a skull by a Bible and cross, symbolizing
the Armenian struggle to preserve Christianity.
For this exhibit, Reischwitz will exhibit two tableaus each containing
12 scenes.
"I believe we hold onto our objects to preserve a memory and to prove
that we exist here and now," she said. "Perhaps I was drawn to this
project out of a wish for permanence in a world of loss and decay."
Born in Germany, Reischwitz graduated from the Technical University
Braunschweig with a chemistry degree. Soon after moving to the United
States, she followed her passion for photography with courses at the
International Center of Photography in New York, focusing on a black
and white format.
Her series "Layers of Urban Life/Street Art" incorporates her
fascination with street photography and her love for the visual arts.
Gallery hours at the museum are Tuesdays to Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 5
p.m.; Fridays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Saturdays and Sundays, noon to
4 p.m. For further details, visit www.griffinmuseum.org.
by Tom Vartabedian
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2012/09/13/bedford-photographer-captures-armenian-lifestyles/
September 13, 2012
WINCHESTER, Mass.-The hidden treasures of everyday life are carefully
recorded by Bedford photographer Astrid Reischwitz, who finds a
special kinship to Armenians.
Photographer Astrid Reischwitz Reischwitz recently spent hours with
Stephen Dulgarian, whose Chelmsford home reverberates with Armenian
books and artifacts.
Dulgarian opened his collection to the photographer, who found it
replete with abstract art.
Much of it will be part of an exhibit Sept. 6-23 at Griffin Museum
of Photography, located at 67 Shore Rd., titled "Photography Atelier
16." Also on exhibit will be the work of artist Bob Avakian.
"Being of German ancestry, I can relate very much to the turmoil
experienced by Armenians during their 1915 genocide through my own
grandparents and ancestors who were in concentration camps," said
Reischwitz. "Armenians have a story to tell through their personal
belongings and there is much which can be revealed to the naked eye."
Objects like books, telephones, old records, and picture frames were
carefully exposed through her insight.
"They remind us that all things simultaneously are present in this
world yet are at risk of vanishing if we don't preserve them," said
Reischwitz. "It amazes me that after a genocide, people like Stephen
Dulgarian still cling to their past with reverence."
Reischwitz is close friends with photographer Sona Gevorkian, who
helped promote her exhibit on Armenian photography at the Bedford
Library last year. Gevorkian happens to be Dulgarian's daughter,
and thus, a connection was made to photograph his archives for this
exhibit.
Prominently displayed in the collage are an array of genocide books
and a poignant glimpse of a skull by a Bible and cross, symbolizing
the Armenian struggle to preserve Christianity.
For this exhibit, Reischwitz will exhibit two tableaus each containing
12 scenes.
"I believe we hold onto our objects to preserve a memory and to prove
that we exist here and now," she said. "Perhaps I was drawn to this
project out of a wish for permanence in a world of loss and decay."
Born in Germany, Reischwitz graduated from the Technical University
Braunschweig with a chemistry degree. Soon after moving to the United
States, she followed her passion for photography with courses at the
International Center of Photography in New York, focusing on a black
and white format.
Her series "Layers of Urban Life/Street Art" incorporates her
fascination with street photography and her love for the visual arts.
Gallery hours at the museum are Tuesdays to Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 5
p.m.; Fridays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Saturdays and Sundays, noon to
4 p.m. For further details, visit www.griffinmuseum.org.