The work is based on poem of “Anoush”, one of the most popular pieces of Armenian literature. It is a vernacular melodrama, a love and lyrical story.
My interest in this work is in its treatment of the structure of the family and social mores and taboos imbedded in them. In my mind I transpose them on more universal issues related to woman’s role in various traditions. How gossip and hearsay affect formation of families, the relations between couples, and life-style that sometimes causes destruction of families.
Traditional Armenian music plays major role in our lives. A lot of attention is paid to the past and the present of the Armenian music, but it is detached from realities of life. How does the artist reflect on these issues by his or her feelings and imagination?
I remember my mother sitting in front of a pan on our balcony washing feathers. Sometime she would blow a feather in the air. In this image I see woman’s imaginary world as light as a feather. I see two naked men lay head-to-head? We wash one and spread white sheet on the other. I envision Armenian church- rites. They have impressed heavily upon my imagination during my entire life. What is the meaning of the pink cow? Man’s …? What do the women, who like crucified victims carry poles of wood on their shoulders signify?
Abstraction of Anoush is my inner world, my being a woman at these times, my spiritual world. It is the overpowering of male figure over the female.
A man is whipping a woman. A woman is screaming. This is a world-wide problem.