YEREVAN—The final product of three expert-led workshops on modern design and visual communication were unveiled in a special student exhibition this past Saturday at the Tumo Center for Creative Technologies.
Over 60 students who worked for over a month with experts in the cutting-edge fields of 3D modeling, product photography, and object historiography displayed their work for a capacity crowd of fellow students and guests.
“I believe that presenting stories through mediums such as objects or videos can often be more understandable and inclusive for people,” said Mariam Sukiasyan, a participant in the Houshamadyan Objects That Tell Stories workshop. Sukiasyan presented a family heirloom from Erzerum as part of the project, which used various methods to visually retrace the life of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire.
The three separate workshops were led by such experts as Los Angeles-based designer and UCLA lecturer Narineh Mirzaeian, brand name product photographer Hacob Khodaverdian, and Houshamadyan web project directors Silvina Der-Meguerditchian, Vahe Tachjian, and Elke Hatmann.
From bringing alive the Armenian Ottoman past, to professionally presenting products through photography, to designing futuristic 3D models, students succeeded in a short period of time to learn the basics of their respective field and construct their own unique compositions. Despite their diverging themes, each workshop utilized modern methods of design and technology to convey narratives and visual expressions.
“I have to say, I’ve been very impressed with the students here because they are so enthusiastic about learning,” said Mirzaeian, an award-winning designer who traveled to Armenia to lead the intensive 5-week design workshop. “They’re really eager to learn and that enthusiasm makes up for so much that might otherwise be lacking due to their young age.”
Khodaverdian, a distinguished brand photographer with such clients to his name as Nike and Apple, agreed, adding that, “When you look at all of the images, you realize how far they have come. They are not only eager to learn, they are eager to create and that has been the most amazing part of this process.” Like the other workshop leaders, he expressed his desire to return to Armenia and continue working with the students at Tumo.
Attendees at Saturday’s exhibit opening walked through three separate areas of the center’s installation space, enjoying original digital renderings, 3D models, visual projections, display cases, and high quality photographs produced by the talented young workshop participants.
The event was the latest in a series of visual art exhibitions organized this summer at Tumo for the general public. Previous exhibits include the work of students of such prominent figures as photographer Scout Tufankjian, photojournalist Eric Grigorian and digital designer Vasken Brudian.
The Tumo Center for Creative Technologies is a digital media learning center in Yerevan, Armenia. Since its opening in 2011, the center has provided thousands of students aged 12-18 an open environment where they can utilize the latest in digital communications, learn from media professionals, and explore the intersection of art and technology.
