INTERVIEW WITH ARMENIAN PHOTOGRAPHER: ARSINEH KHACHIKIAN
SOAD Fans
Dec 13 2007
Arsineh is a photographer who followed System of A Down in their
Mezmerize Tour in 2005, she delivered to fans outstanding shoots for
their favorite band.
In 2006, Arsineh followed Serj Tankian & John Dolmayan with her
camera in their visit to Capitol Hill Observance and their rally to
push the Armenian Genocide bill. She also joined ‘Screamers’ movie
crew and took photos of the movie screening in some different places.
Arsineh was nice enough to give us her consent for exclusive interview
for SOADFans talking about her experience with shooting System of A
Down live on the stage, outside the stage and other things.
SOADFans: What was the first photograph you ever took (in your
professional career) and when was that?
AK: It’s not clear if and when I became professional since my primary
career is graphic design. Photography was always something I just did
voluntarily since I had my first snapshot camera at 8 years old. It
served many purposes along the way, mostly personal, but it came in
handy for everything and is my core passion. If I had to recall, my
first professional shot was probably a wedding or genocide related
conference. My first show was Granian (now Kill the Alarm) at The
Bitter End in New York City.
SOADFans: What inspired you to become a photographer?
AK: I always liked the idea of a dark room when I was a child. There
was a science behind the art that was tangible and real. I took the
first photo class I could when I was 14, shooting with my father’s
35 mm Canon SLR which he bought before I was born (can’t remember the
exact model). After that, it was merely a way to look at the world at
every angle, and to share my perspectives with others. I don’t work
in dark rooms anymore, but I still feel a unique excitement every
time I get a shot I like. I also feel the potential with widespread
connectivity and the responsibility photographers have to expose events
around the world with the hopes of inspiring others. The photos I take
can be seen by the world and interpreted in a million ways, hopefully
with a better understanding of the subject. It’s this idea that the
photo speaks for itself and cannot tell a lie that is untouchable in
a world where words are misinterpreted every day.
What kind of photographing equipment do you use? do you have any
favorite?
I now shoot with a Canon EOS 5D with a 17-40mm and 75-300mm lens. My
first camera was my Dad’s Canon. I then bought a 35mm Nikon N70,
then a Canon EOS Rebel, and now my 5D. I keep it simple.
I know you’re Armenian, and you used to live in L.A but recently you
moved to Armenia, what made you decide to move from LA to Armenia?
How has that been for you?
I actually never lived in LA, just visited far too much. I grew
up in DC and studied in New York and Boston with a very strong
sense of Armenian identity instilled by my family, active in the
community since I was 8. Moving to Armenia seemed like a natural
progression after a lifetime devoted to preserving the culture. It
became reality when I was offered a job in 2001 as photo editor of
AIM magazine. I had visited several times before, but only for short
visits. During that time, I discovered an addiction to Armenia and
returned to DC with the intention of gaining experience, saving up,
devising a plan and moving back to Armenia once I was prepared. I
was then called on to work for the Armenian National Committee of
America in their national headquarters in Washington. I did anything
from helping Armenian Americans start their careers in public policy,
to designing more postcard campaigns than I can remember, to organizing
several protests and vigils for the Armenian and Darfur genocides, to
collaborating with System of a Down on the SOULS benefit concerts. I
did that for a few years and worked a couple other design jobs to
save up for my return to Armenia in ’06.
I set the date for my move coincidentally right after Serj and
John’s visit to Washington. They left town, I packed my life and
was in Armenia the following week. The moment I arrived felt like I
had been there all along. I started a PR firm within a month, Deem
Communications, and now employ 15 industry experts, handling some of
Armenia’s biggest contracts and introducing new business from the
international market. I am living out my dream, working on massive
PR projects, organizing cultural events and implementing widespread
marketing campaigns to a country unfamiliar to the concept for
decades. All the while, I’m shooting every bird, ant and rock around
me. One day I’m covering a conference on dual citizenship policies
or major concerts, the next day I’m capturing a flock of chickens
or a villager who’s main concern is if his grapes were plentiful
this year. The extremes and contrasts bring out the essence of life
that I live for. It’s back to the basics of life for me, enjoying
the taste of food, the art of conversation, studying the root of
someone’s accent or dialect, the paths we’ve crossed, and savouring
present day life. The fact that this is the land my ancestors came
from brings it home. Had I been doing all these things anywhere else,
I wouldn’t have felt as rewarded. I get to do what I love most with
my own people and watch my country grow.
Do you think more Armenians, who live all around North America/Europe,
should move back to their homeland Armenia?
I think those who are interested in living in Armenia should take
that idea very seriously by visiting and finding something to do. I
don’t believe all Armenians must return as it is a very personal
choice that depends on many factors in life and vary person to
person. I happened to be in the right place at the right time with
few responsibilities holding me back. But to say that Armenia only
exists within its current borders is neglecting centuries of migrant
families who have made their marks around the world and maintained
their identity, spreading their culture to their adopted nations.
That said, I came to Armenia at a time where you could count
repatriates from the US on your hands. Visitors would pass through for
short 2-week trips or long 6-month program stays. It’s fair to say
now that there is a movement, with tens of thousands of repatriates
from all over the world, and many more visitors and investors. I
recently published a book, Special Residency Status, sharing stories
of 18 such repatriates and their insane culture clashes. There are
thousands of others with their eyes on the homeland and I have no
doubt that they will keep coming, if not for the romantic idea of
living in one’s land, perhaps for the mere reason that it is a sound
logical decision. Armenia’s economy has been and continues to boom at a
surprising rate despite all odds of blockade, the slow reconstruction
from the 1988 earthquake, war through the ’90s and the collapse of
the Soviet Union. With almost all borders closed, no ports and no
oil, Armenia has rejected all public projections and took off on its
own. I believe it attributes to two important factors. The Diaspora
is a unique resource which few other nations have. At the same time,
the citizens of Armenia faced so much hardship all at once until they
had no choice but to get creative to survive.
In the end, two things matter most to me: justice for the Armenian
genocide and prosperity in the homeland. I’ve had the chance in life
to contribute to both.
A lot of your photos focus on Armenian themes. Is there a main
message behind your photos? What do you want to tell the world through
these photos?
I just want people to see the beauty in everything around them. This
is something I only realized much later in life, one of the reasons
I love to shoot so much. I’ve had people tell me that they never
looked at the subject that way until they saw it in my photos. I view
things with a fascination for the form or subject and can only hope
that the photo conveys that to others. If I focus on Armenian themes,
it’s probably because my life is consumed by them. I do believe that
the Armenian people are a fascinating race with some of the richest
colors and spices in life. I love to share that with people who may
or may not relate to my experience. Armenia is also considered one of
(if not the) oldest modern nations, which has risen and fallen, played
a vital role in the make up of today’s world, but has gone unnoticed,
almost neglected. I simply take the opportunity to share it with the
world where few others do.
Let’s talk about your work with System of a Down, how did you first
get to work with them? for how long?
My first chance to shoot System was in 2000 when they headlined for
the SnoCore Tour at The Avalon in Boston. It was for an interview I
conducted with Serj for an Armenian youth magazine. After I returned to
DC in 2003 to work for the ANCA, one of my first projects was to make
use of the donation from the first SOULS concert. We decided to put
it towards a mass postcard campaign, providing hundreds of thousands
of Armenian Americans with postcards they would then forward to then
Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert and Majority Leader Tom DeLay,
urging passage of the Genocide Resolution to a vote. They decided
to hold another SOULS concert on which we collaborated, preparing
informational booklets on the genocide for mass distribution at the
concert and organizing relevant non-profit booth presence to educate
the masses on human rights issues. I attended several of their concerts
for either working booths or shooting, which they were very gracious to
permit. My purpose in shooting was purely for the sake of capturing a
moment in time that was so significant for so many of my peers. Until
my very last days in the US, I was shooting them at the protests in
DC. I have not worked with them since.
You followed with your camera Serj & John in their Genocide rally in
several places, along with their visit to the Congress and ‘Screamers’
movie screening too, how was that photographing experience and as
an Armenian, how do you see these efforts can make the Genocide
recognition happen?
Some of my earliest memories as a child are attending protests in
Washington, DC at the Turkish Embassy and the White House. Year
after year, attendance would dwindle, survivors passed away,
and motivation slowed down. Decades of protesting with no results
began to take its toll on the community’s focus and energy, but
never its determination. While the world stood by and watched the
genocide take place in Rwanda wondering how we could let it happen,
Armenians around the world were still waiting for acknowledgement of
our own genocide 80 years prior. There were always the few that never
lost their perseverance and drive. They continued to carry the cause
through all doubt, making it possible to pass the torch on to those
who had power and influence to take it further. In the early ’00s,
despite the White House’s decision to pull the genocide resolution as
it was going to a vote, the cause began to gain momentum as scholars
and artists were making themselves heard. Samantha Power wrote the
Pulitzer Prize winning book "Problem from Hell: America and the Age
of Genocide," which drew international attention to the epidemic of
genocide, starting with denial of 1915. Turkish scholar Taner Akcam
was speaking openly and honestly about the genocide.
Orhan Pamuk and Hrant Dink faced charges of insulting Turkishness for
making reference to the killings of Armenians. Armenian filmmaker
Atom Egoyan directed a film that dealt with the genocide, earning
the audience of all North America. Sibel Edmonds spoke out about
wiretaps revealing Turkish bribes to elected officials. US Ambassador
to Armenia, John Evans spoke publicly about the genocide against US
policy, despite their termination of his position and outrage at his
dissent. The Boston Globe and New York Times changed their policy on
forbidding usage of the word genocide when describing the events of
1915. More and more elected officials, including John Kerry, Barack
Obama, and Nanci Pelosi, were speaking firmly on the genocide issue.
A domino effect began and System of a Down contributed to the
momentum. They were in the position to not only educate the masses
about the genocide and draw public attention to the matter, but they
were also vital in connecting the issue to an overall human rights
campaign to stop genocide anywhere and everywhere. This was a turn
in focus, which now affects the way this issue is viewed today.
When Serj and John visited Washington, they drew record numbers to
the annual DC protest and public attention to our message. Media came
in from all over the world to cover the event, their meetings on the
Hill allowed us to reach more offices than usual, and they inspired
more people to get involved. For the first time, I saw heads turning
that never raised a brow in the previous 90 years. Their visit made
a difference, and it motivated the community to keep fighting.
As for Screamers, the film drills home the story of what it’s all
about. For those who were System fans and didn’t know about the
cause, it filled in the gaps. For those who had been fighting for
recognition all these years, it put into perspective what the new
face of Armenian American grassroots has become. In Armenia where the
fight for recognition is quite moot, and the phenomenon of System’s
success is mysterious, bringing Carla Garapedian (director) to present
Screamers here was also a telling tale. For the first time, Armenian
citizens began to understand what the fight was all about and learned
more about their brothers and sisters across the world.
>From your experience shooting System, who was the most difficult to
shoot? and usually how was the vibe getting photos for the band?
Each band member is incredibly photogenic and their personalities
really show through on stage. I’ve shot tons of concerts and usually
there’s only so much you can capture of someone singing into a
microphone. But in System’s case, because they are so active on stage
and dynamic in presence, it’s really tough keeping up with them,
capturing as many frames as possible. It was the toughest challenge
and the most rewarding… and fun.
But my favorite moments were chatting with the fans in the pit before
the band hit the stage. Some of the fans kept grabbing at me, some
tried to trade places with me, begged for my pass, asked how I got
there… some just wanted to talk about the music or how great the
band is. They were real fans and I loved interacting with them. That’s
always the best vibe I got from those shows… that and when the band
members looked straight into my camera for the perfect shot.
The most unique story took place during the campaign in DC. Many months
prior to their visit, they had gone to Chicago to protest at Speaker
Hastert’s district office, requesting a meeting to discuss putting the
genocide resolution to a vote. At the time, the Speaker was holding
the vote back, after accusations of taking bribes from the Turkish
lobby. Serj continued to bombard him with requests for a meeting,
especially leading up to the DC visit, to which Hastert refused
continuously. As we roamed the halls of Congress, going door to door
of several Congressman, we departed with Senator Allen’s office where
the Chief of Staff offered to escort us through the "members only"
route so that they could see some of the historic sites and make
it to the next meeting on time. As we passed through the dome, kids
started identifying Serj and John already, throwing us into a rush. We
quickly navigated through to the next room… and then the next room
when we realized we went the wrong way. We returned to where the high
school kids were murmuring only to find Speaker Hastert himself,
greeting some of the kids… not a common sighting around the Hill
at all. Without hesitation, John went in for the kill to corner him,
and Serj stopped him in his path. I didn’t think my camera could snap
quickly enough. I barely even heard the conversation over the click of
my shutter. It was clear on Hastert’s face that he realized what was
going on and needed to get out of there. Relentlessly, Serj articulated
the importance of the resolution and reminded the Speaker that it was
an issue he could no longer brush under the rug. We walked away and
it took me a good hour before the chills stopped running down my spine.
Do you have any current projects you’re working on?
I just started compiling my entire life’s work of photography to tell
the story of my experience as an Armenian American growing up in the
US, then repatriating to Armenia. I’m hoping through this process
to portray the advancement of the Armenian Diaspora over the last 20
years, simultaneously with Armenia itself after the collapse of the
Soviet Union, war, earthquake and economic collapse. As children,
we grew up with Armenian culture as a static and historic identity
to be preserved, one that faded every day with assimilation. I want
to show that this is not the case and that the Armenian identity
in the Diaspora in Armenia is more alive than ever. I’ve had a rare
opportunity to see so many aspects of Armenian life which have played
key roles in defining our identity, and I carried a camera with me
along the way.
The book is titled "My Nation: The Trails and Trials of an Armenian
Repatriate" and will be released in May 2008. I’ll be updating
information on the progress and availability at
and . Meanwhile, my photos are always on
display at
Thanks Arsineh ~:)