FORUM SYNOPSIS:
ART & ARCHITECTURE (23 March 2006)

The head of Shushi Foundation, architect Sarhat Petrossian, was the invited guest for the Armenian Art and Architecture presentation. Mr. Petrossian divided the presentation into three parts - the history of the architecture of Yerevan , Yerevan today, and the architecture of Shushi city.

The first part of the forum was dedicated to the process of the development of Yerevan city starting from late 17 th century up till 1991. He described the main logic of the development of the city as well as pictured how the old and more village-type constructions were replaced by newer ones. Also, he illustrated how from the small fortress, which was once the residence of the Persian governor of Yerevan khanate, came to be the center of Eastern Armenia under the Russian Empire and then later transformed into a big urbanized city during the Soviet times.

The second part of the presentation included current developments of the city planning in Yerevan . Mr. Petrossian described all the positive and negative tendencies of nowadays capital, including the destruction of the buildings that are part of the cultural heritage of the city, and the green territories surrounding the center of the capital, while noting that the creation of some new buildings and constructions is in complete harmony with the logic of the city architecture. This part of the presentation was a critical approach to what is being done in the field of town-planning and architecture.

The last part was dedicated to the city of Shushi , which included not only the history of the architecture, but also the city and the whole Artsakh region. Mr. Petrossian described the political situation of the region in the beginning of 20 th century, as well as the massacres organized by Azeris in that period of time, which caused the repopulation of the city mainly by non-Armenians resulting in the complete transformation of the city. The speaker illustrated the present situation of Shushi, which is currently undergoing renovation. Even though Shushi was liberated 14 years ago, the majority of the city shows heavy signs of the war. However, the center of Shushi is being reconstructed and the whole city will become a cultural center of NKR in several years time. The young architects, including the speaker, who are implementing the Shushi project, try to preserve the cultural sites of the city without any national and religious discrimination.

All three parts of the presentation raised many questions. AVC volunteer Nicholas Bazarian asked about the laws that should regulate all the construction processes and city planning in general. While answering that question Mr. Petrossian gave an example of a policeman and a driver. “There is a special law that regulates their relations, but it doesn't work here”, he said.

The discussion ended with the description of the Northern Avenue project, which is currently being implemented in center of Yerevan . Mr. Petrossian described all the violations that were made during the implementation of that project including unlawful evacuation of long-standing residents there and destruction of buildings that are considered to be the most valuable evidences of Yerevan history. He concluded by saying everything needs time and hopefully things will change if people aspire to it.