Our Cyclopean Walls

Site specific insatallation, Ldjashen, Armenia, 2012
Photos and digital images, 2013

Our cyclopean walls is an art project, which proposes a reflection and an action on the prehistoric cyclopean walls in Armenia by correlating them with a contemporary question: waste management.

Cyclopean walls take us to the traces of old civilizations. According to Greek mythology, only the Cyclops – giants with an eye in the middle of the forehead - had the force to move massive rocks to create the walls of Mycenae and Tiryns. Cyclopean walls exist also in Armenia. Is that the work of the Armenian Cyclops? In any case, in a country like Armenia, often called the country of the stones, the existence of cyclopean walls seems to be a normal phenomenon, with or without the intervention of the Cyclops.

While observing the cyclopean walls and the landscapes of Ldjashen, in the shores of the lake Sevan, one moves away from the current reality and travels in a marvelous world of giant creatures. But while walking towards these historic structures, one awakens in front of the daily realities of the modern world, by discovering the urban waste thrown around carelessly: papers, packing materials, bottles etc. Here comes the confrontation of the two realities: on one hand historical walls pointing out the existence of a prehistoric civilization and on the other hand, waste related to our current lifestyles.

Alina Mnatsakanian, with the collaboration of Sevak association, a non-profit organisation based in Switzerland, France and Armenia, proposed an art project, “Our cyclopean walls”, combining art and social action. A community building art that involved the inhabitants of the region and at the same time served as an educational tool for environmental issues and preservation of the cultural heritage. It’s about provoking the reaction of the inhabitants and visitors by creating a work of art with a strong symbolism.

Mirroring the true vestiges of the cyclopean walls of Ldjachen Alina Mnatsakanian created a wall with the rubbish collected on this historic site. The art installation has the vocation to challenge the visitors on the historical past of Armenia as well as on the current situation of the country and the future generations.

Collaborator: Sevak association
Partially funded by
SDC - Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
City of Yerevan
Eco Engineering

Partners
Village of Ldjashen
Art and Cultural Studies Laboratory (ACSL)