NAASR TO PRESENT "Traces: A Museum Without Artifacts: Design, Projection, and the Armenian Genocide"

Design, Projection, and the Armenian Genocide"
The National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) will host a presentation entitled "Traces: A Museum Without Artifacts-Design, Projection, and the Armenian Genocide," on Thursday, March 3, 2011, at 8:00 p.m. The featured speakers will be Prof. Martin Bechthold and
Allen Sayegh of Harvard University's Graduate School of Design (GSD).
Harvard's Mashtots Professor of Armenian Studies James R. Russell will provide an introduction and additional comments. The event will take place at the NAASR Center, 395 Concord Avenue, Belmont, MA.

This program will be held in memory of Arshag Merguerian (1926-2005), architect, GSD graduate, and an active member and friend of NAASR for nearly fifty years. The expenses for the lecture will be covered by funds contributed to NAASR in Merguerian's memory.

In 2010, Martin Bechthold and Allen Sayegh led an advanced studio at the GSD entitled "Traces" that explored the design of a museum without artifacts through the study of immersive projection environments. The studio is based on the premise that design strategies must simultaneously consider (and design) both the projected content and the physical nature of the spatial environment. This timely topic has been previously explored on the scale of installations, but remains poorly understood when expanded to an entire museum.

"Traces" challenged students to implement their design strategies in proposals for a museum environment dedicated to the Armenian Genocide in Yerevan. The possibility of realizing a new museum is under discussion in Armenia-hence providing a realistic context for the studio. Students
traveled to the existing Genocide Museum and Institute in Yerevan during a field trip to Armenia to allow for in-depth on-site research and exploration.

Prof. Martin Bechthold is Co-Director of the Master in Design Studies Program, Director of the GSD Fabrication Labs, and Director of the Interdepartmental GSD Technology Platform. Allen Sayegh is an architect and the President and founder of Invivia, a Cambridge-based digital design firm. Prof. James Russell was invited to give a lecture to the "Traces" studio in which he provided historical and cultural background on Armenia and the Armenian Genocide. He is a contributor to the Traces publication edited by Bechthold and Sayegh.

Admission to the event is free (donations appreciated). The NAASR Center is located opposite the First Armenian Church and next to the U.S. Post Office. Ample parking is available around the building and in adjacent areas. The lecture will begin promptly at 8:00 p.m.

More information about the program is available by calling 617-489-1610, faxing 617-484-1759, e-mailing hq@naasr.org, or writing to NAASR, 395
Concord Ave., Belmont, MA 02478.



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February 14, 2011

Belmont, MA

Press Release
National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR)
395 Concord Ave.
Belmont, MA 02478
Tel.: 617-489-1610
E-mail: hq@naasr.org
NAASR TO PRESENT "Traces: A Museum Without Artifacts:

NAASR