The Awakened Bird (Havoun Havoun)

“The awakened Bird” was inspired by a musical composition created by St. Grigor Narekatsi called “Havoun Havoun” in the 11th century. This Armenian monk lived in the region of Lake Van and his music describes in metaphor the liberating ascension from form to spirit. A manuscript from the 10th century archived at Matenadaran in Yerevan, Armenia inspired the the visual construction of this artwork in regards to the dynamics of the bird and pomegranate tree, to correlate historical visual qualities of that time and geographic location. This recording of “Havoun Havoun” was sung by Lilit Sargsyan in a monastery located in Armenia in 2014.

This work was created in honor of my friend Zaruhy Sara Chitjian.