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Angela Harutunyan. The Politics of Identity and Contemporary Art
October–November 2007
The purpose of this series of seminars was to discuss issues related to the interrelations between identity politics, gender theories, and practices of contemporary art since the 1960s. The series was carried out through seminar sessions and lectures. The sessions made connections between theories and the works of art which were presented to Armenia’s current social and cultural problems. The last meeting was completely devoted to the study of certain Armenian contemporary works of art, which allowed participants to challenge the discussed theories as well as view them from a different angle. more...
The discussions covered such subjects as the consequences of the phenomenological formulations of the body in the formation of subjectivity within the intersubjective exchange between the Self and the Other; the application of psychoanalytical theories by feminists; problems of race and class in identity and identification; strategies of cyber-activism through artistic practices; and the evolution of subjectivization in Armenian society and its manifestations in works of contemporary art.
In the beginning of the course, a reading list was distributed to participants as well as a translation of the material in Armenian or Russian (obtained by Utopiana).
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Clara Vuillermoz. “Living Here”, film screenings and discussions
August 2007
This film was introduced and screened at The Club, followed by a discussion. Translation and subtitling were arranged in advance. The film itself, as well as the discussion (which was filmed), can be found in Utopiana’s library; both are available for public viewings.
 Micha Méroujan. “Story of an Exiled Queer”, film screenings and discussions
August 2007
Film screening held at The Club with the filmmaker present. Among those present were international students who were attending university during the summer months and who proposed to collaborate with the filmmaker. The screening was followed by a lively discussion which many were able to participate in, having just seen the topic addressed in the film. Though attendees were respectful, some even supportive, conflicting opinions and objections weree qually apparent; some members even requested to be removed from Utopiana’s mailing list (as they did not wish to participate in future events organized by Utopiana).
Reading of extracts from the anthology “Matnashoonch” followed by a discussion
August 2007
This reading, followed by discussion and which took place at The Club, was not advertised as it came about from the “Non-literary writing” sessions with Nancy Agabian which took place during the months of May–June 2007. The event was photographed and filmed with all material archived.
 “Immoral Women” jam
August 2007
The women of Utopiana and the Women’s Resource Center decided to make jam that would be labelled with explanations on feminism and then distributed in local supermarkets. The project aimed to dispel the myth that it is only “housewives” who can make jam. Only the first stage of the project was actualized, however. As an extension of this project, another project titled “The Making of Feminist Marmalade” was executed in October. This initiative was carried out by the members of, and with the resources available at, Utopiana and at the Women’s Resource Center.
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