Stream: 2 pm CET; 4 pm Armenian time

We will start with some introductions, followed by “Kabelbruch der Finsterniss – Geisterdaten”, a piece by DJ SchluchT which had been composed for our Open Call in the original Datscha garden in Berlin while he was tending the roses and tomatoes there. A short phone talk with Marold will enlight on his forthcoming live-storytelling about the mysteries of “Getamej’s Garden”. And yes, we will be right there, in Getamej, with our friendly host Joseph Zakarian. More guests: Momik Vardanyan from Art Basis and friends.

RADIOEREVAN has been broadcasting from outside Armenia for many years.
https://www.kunstradio.at/2017A/28_05_17.html

So it is all the better that for the first time in a long time RADIOEREVAN can now broadcast and be heard in Armenia (and Georgia) again.

For several years, RADIOEREVAN has repeatedly focussed on the world wonder of the Hanging Gardens.
https://www.mixcloud.com/mlphilippsen/radioerevan_2017-07-22-hanging-gardens/

Only recently, RADIOEREVAN discovered that the origin of the Hanging Gardens was not in the country of UR, but rather in Media or even in Armenia. In fact, quite precisely in the Mid-Rivers, in Getamej.

Whether it was Semiramis or Amytis to whom the gardens were dedicated was probably best known to Nebuchadnezzar himself – so the three hosts of RADIOEREVAN will try to get to the bottom of things.

Datscha Radio’s day started with our arrival at the academy at sharp 11 am, meeting its director Vahagn Ghukasyan who had already put tables and stools on standby. Food and drinks were nicely arranged on their plates by Annette Gloser (FrankfurterSportundKunstkasino) who also assisted enthusiastically with setting up the radio station in the part-shade of two pinetrees. Testing went well, supervised by Marold Langer-Philippsen who has been maintaining our streaming activities since 2021.

A flock of art students arrived, Xenia, Susanna, Ani, Hasmik, Jane, curious about radio making and eager to contribute. Consequently, after a bit of music being played and Datscha Radio’s greetings to the listeners, the show started with their introductions.

Afterwards, our first radio guest Vahagn, explained about the academy’s artistic branches and goals in art education. As the listeners might have noticed, a short glitch with cable connections caused the fallback to become activated. In case you have wondered: It was a visit to a garden close to our home in the Mush II district in Gyumri when I was ‘kidnapped’ by two elderly ladies and taken to the kitchen to drink coffee

Meanwhile still more students arrived and gathered around or seated themselves comfortably on the benches in shade and sun.  Co-founder of Art Basis, Mary Mikaelyan, joined the show via telephone and explained the work and aims of this artist platform dedicated to new and communal approaches in the Armenian art scene. More songs of the Armenian folk band “Tchamich” (“Raisins”) completed this first garden session.

With great joy we welcomed Ani Petrs-Bartsumian who had arrived with her two sisters, Janie Petrosyan and Vanessa.

Titled “The Song and Poetry Field”, our second part of the programme involved spoken word and prose readings. It opened with a jingle spoken by Christina and Maria, quickly having been improvised (because of a power cut and because it was raining) in the smithy located on the grounds of the garden. We also listened to the piece “Grace”, created by Indentity Runners, a cross-continental trio of women sound and media artists. Ani personally introduced her project “The Female Composer’s choir”. She is also the voice behind Datscha Radio’s ‘official’ announcement jingle and several short poems and rhymes which enriched the NightLoop. While being on location she also helped a lot with translations in conversations and in the acquisition of new radio guests, as you will see.

The “Poetry Field” continued with a reading of “Where ever I go, I am already there”, an ethnographic-poetic text by Gabi Schaffner put to paper in Gyumri. Originally written in English, the text had been translated into Armenian by Mary Mikaelyan and was consequently read in Armenian language by the academy’s students Hasmik and Ani. Anton Smirnov‘s piece “Crystals” and “Amplitudes and Frequencies” accompanied our talks.

Meanwhile, on over-hearing the sounds of cello and violins wafting from the main building, Annette and Ani Petrs-Bartsumian sneaked in and persuaded the musicians to come out into the garden. Such, we were granted with a stunning concert of 4 members of the Gyumri Branch of Yerevan State Conservatory, playing for us several works by Komitas and more Armenian composers: A great thanks to Armen Kartshyan (1^st violin), Sasha Atanyan (2^nd violin), Julieta Harutyunyan (viola) and Azat Karutyunyan (cello).

With our broadcast scheduled for three hours altogether, the time frame for our third theme “Into the Wild” had melted down quite a bit: Live guests rule! Field recording snippets interchanged with Joan Schuman’s (USA) empathic piece “Ghosts Wolves”  and InHer Interior (AUS) sound walk “Coral Air Land” until it was time for another live phone talk, this time with with Marold about his upcoming show on the 4^th of October in the garden of Getamej on the outskirts of Yerevan. Last piece of the broadcast was again “Armenian Folk Impro” by Love Hospital (Berlin), which had been swallowed up by the cable glitch at the beginning.

And already the time had come to say our goodbyes and to announce Datscha Radio’s nightloop! Datscha Radio hereby expressed its happy thanks to Art Basis for the invitation to work and do research in Yerevan and Gyumi, to Vahagn of the Academy of Fine Arts in Gyumri for hosting us and helping with all practical issues (from electricity, furniture to last-minute-SIMcard-activation!), to all our charming guests and contributors and, most definitely to all representatives of the Botanic Institute of Botanical Garden, Yervan, and all artists of the open call, who repleted this broadcast with so many different radiophonic colours!

After closing the show, we still had more fun, playing a field recording featuring an audio snippet called “vodka offering” to the security warden who came out for a chat. Despite sunshine, a cold breeze started tearing at our clothes… We wrapped up everything, including ourselves and finally said goodbye to the academy.

In a nutshell, this was it. Datscha Radio expresses its greatest thank to everybody involved, and especially to all contributors of the Open Call! As live radio always creates its own time flow with respective eddies, whirls and surprise guests while on, we were not able to play all works during the show. All of them were featured though in our NightLoop running from 8pm to 9 am Armenian time!
For the archive edit of the whole show we will put them in as originally intended. Thank you for bearing with us until then, and once again, thank you all!!!

Specials and Current Extended Activities

Archival special to look forward too: ALL interviews about ARMENIAN BOTANICS AND ECOLOGY will be summed up in a separate audio documentation. Date: by 12 of October

The NIGHTLOOP will presumably run again on the 3^rd-4^th of October.

Starting on 4pm (Armenian time/ 2pm CET), radio artist Marold Langer-Philippsen will be streaming live his radiophonic expedition “Getamej’s Hanging Gardens”. While we will hang out in that garden, frolicking with food and drink and hopefully a true Armenian barbeque.

To start with:

In the picture above Annette Gloser, curator and savior of ‘lost places’, has lent her tender hands to paint our poster that we will stick tomorrow to the gate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Gyumri, where the broadcast is taking place. She has freshly arrived 5 days ago and will accompany the broadcast as a friendly co-host, welcoming and feeding the guests and helping with basically everything…

NOTE: 14-17 o’clock is ARMENIAN TIME ZONE! FOR CET tune in at 12-15 o Clock

The Programme

Datscha Radio’s programme follows the flow of events. We will start with a live talk about the Academy with Vahagn Ghukasyan. Depending on her availability, ART BASIS co-founder Mary Mikaelyan via telephone. After this the waves flow freely, though gently contained into three main themes and interspersed with works of the Open Call.

For those who are new to this kind of handmade broadcasting style: The Gardens of Gyumri are about sharing, creation and listening… and surprises. This means, there is no fixed schedule I can offer which outlines the exact time of when which work is going to be presented.

Listen on the player in the side bar (right side) OR follow the link given below it OR listen on RADIO ANTENNA (Yerevan)! The programme is live: You won’t hear anything before 2 pm, 29th of Sept.!
Listen too on 90.6 FM in the garden of the Academy! Bring your radio!

I Into the Streets and Gardens

Introduction of guests present in the garden; interviews and music with people I have met in the streets, related open call pieces, field recordings and works from the Open Call, a walk through the greenhouses of the Botanical Garden Yerevan with a fervent plant lover.
Pieces by Tchamich, Love Hospital, various short field recordings,

II The Song and Poetry Field

Introduction of live guest Ani Petrs-Bartsumian (and friends), who is the founder of the Fem_Com Choir; surprise live guest, reading of poetry by Armenian women poets in Armenian and English, open call pieces, reading of further texts translated into Armenian (Ուր էլ գնամ, արդեն այնտեղ եմ)
Pieces by Anton Smirnov, the Fem_Com Choir, diverse field recordings and snippets

III Into the Wild/Armenian

This is the radiophonic realm of Armenian plant life and improvisation, featuring a talk with the founder of My Forest Armenia, André Gumuchdjian, a talk with Alla Aleksanyan, Head of the Chair of Plant Diversity and Ecosystem Studies of the Botanic Institute, Yerevan, live phone conversation with Marold Langer-Phillipsen about “Getamej’s Hanging Gardens”, his upcoming radio event on the 4th of October, in the garden of the Getamej village, close to Yerevan.

Pieces by Joan Schuman, InHer Interior, Frontera Glaciar, DJ ShluchT, various short field recordings.

IV The NIGHTLOOP (6pm-7am CET)

From 20:00 to 9:00 on the 29th/30th of September you can listen to Gyumri Garden’s Nightloop. It contains, next to the works of the composers mentioned above, longer works by those composers whose works cover a longer stretches of time… ideal for a nightly rewilding of your dreams.

Featuring (a.e.): Calathea experiments (María Cristina Kasem); a talk with Ani Bayburdyanan, Deputy Director of the Botanic Garden about their Educational Programs for Children; Abican (Das Wasser ist niemals einsam), DJ Shlucht (extended version) and still more various field recording snippets and jingles.

Special thanks to Ani Petrs-Bartsumian and Mary Mikaelyan for their translation support and to Maria and Christina of the Art Academy for their joyful support in speaking one of the Gyumri radio jingles!

Datscha Radio is more than pleased to announce for its show “The Gardens of Gyumri” its participating artists from near and far, from the Open Call as well as Live Guests (as far as known already).

With regard to Datscha Radio’s general focus on ecology and environment, the show will also feature a selection from interviews led with representatives of the Botanic Institute and of the Botanical Garden in Yerevan, as well as with still other environmentally engaged stake holders active in Armenia.

Datscha Radio also wishes to announce with utmost pleasure Marold Langer-Philippsen as streaming radio artist on the 4th of October. Please find more info in the next posts.

Artists of the Open Call and their Works

including NIGHTLooP (9 pm-9 am, 29-30 Sept)

Anton Smirnov (RU) – Composer and Musician:
“Frequencies and Amplitudes”; “Crystals”, “Air before a Thunderstorm” for 2 Flutes; “Bulgarian Dance” (Street Talk and Recording); “River Water” for 4 Flutes

DJ Shlucht (DE) – Artist, DJ, Radio Maker: “kabelbruch der Finsterniss – Geisterdaten” / Excerpt
“kabelbruch der Finsterniss – Geisterdaten” / Full Version (Nightloop only)

Frontera Glaciar (Patagonia) – Composer, radio artist: Patio Nevada

Identity Runners, INT (intercontinental): “Grace”
grace amounts to gifts of time spent giving room to speak
the storm surrounds us
we open our mouths and sing into it.

InHer Interior (Francesca da Rimini and V. Barratt) (AUS): “the coral of the land eats the air”
We made the coral of the land eats the air during the 2024 Southern Hemisphere Spring Equinox at
Ngaltingga.

Joan Schuman (USA): “Ghost Wolf”

“Ghost Wolf” imagines the sovereignty of disappearing beings.

Love Hospital (Tiger Stangl & Ian Joyce), GER: Armenian Folk Song

María Cristina Kasem/Calathea experimenta (AR) – Violinist and Composer: “Vuelo Iniciático” (Nightloop only)

Tchamich, ARM: Four pieces from their album: “Bari Aragil”; “Sari Sirun”; “Huso Aragast … Հուսո Առագաստ”; “Garun a (Live Performance)”.

Additional Field Recordings/Sound snippets/Texts and Poetry choices: Gabi Schaffner
“That damn rake…!” A Visit to a Garden in Gyumri, also by Gabi Schaffner (Nightloop/Fallback only)

Live Guests

Ani (ARM) – Female Composers Choir: Talk, Reading, Song
Ani is the founder and conductor of the Fem_com Choir, a choir dedicated to perform vocal music by female composers and arrangeurs only.

Vahagn Ghukaysan – Director of the Gyumrian State Academy of Fine Arts: Talk.

Momik Vardanyan – Co-Founder of Art Basis (with Mary Mikaelyan): Talk

Armenian Botanics and Ecology

Anush Nersesyan (ARM) – Head of the Department of the Conservation of Genetic Resources of the Flora of Armenia: A Walk through the Seed Bank of the Institute of Botanics. Yerevan

Alla Aleksanyan – Head of the Chair of Plant Diversity and Ecosystem Studies: Talk in the English Park, Yerevan

Aleksandra – Gardener and Begonia Lover: A Walk through the Greenhouses of the Botanical Garden (in snippets) Yerevan

Ani Bayburdyan – Deputy Director of the Botanic Garden: Educational Programs for Children
With Mary Michaelyan/Translation. Yerevan

André Gumuchdjian – Founder of My Forest Armenia. A Talk about Reforesting in Armenia with the Belgian-Armenian philanthropist and entrepreneur. Yerevan.

Datscha Radio wishes to express their thanks for your creative involvement. Let us listen, across the globe, with our senses exposed to the touch of the radio waves. We will hear us in the “Gardens of Gyumri“

This project by Gabi Schaffner happens in cooperation with Art Basis Yerevan, and you will also be able to listen then on www.radioantenna.net.

Hooray, it’s decided: Datscha Radio will broadcast from the garden of the State Academy of Fine Arts in Gyumi! If the weather is bad, there is also the option of broadcasting from the neighbouring metal workshop, but sunshine is more likely.
As graceful and tidy as this future broadcasting location presents itself: It wasn’t always like this. Until two years ago, there were several containers here that provided a temporary home for the victims of the 1988 earthquake.

Date: Sunday, September 29
Time: 12-15 h (CET); 14-17 h Armenia
Location: Garden of the State Academy of Fine Arts in Armenia
FM frequency (narrow-cast): 90.6 MHz
Co-Transmissions: Radio Antenna (Yerevan + Tbilisi); NN

Datscha Radio’s heartfelt thanks go to the director of the Academy, Vahagn Ghukasyan and Momik Vardanyan from Art Basis for this generously offered location!

About the Academy: Quoted from Art Space 22/01. Art and Education

In 1997, in the first academic year of the opening of the academy, there were only 3 specialties of fine arts, one chair and 9 students. There are currently 7 professions in the branch. Students can earn a bachelor's or master's degree in painting, graphics, sculpture, clothing modeling, decorative applied arts, design, art history, and theory. During its 25 years of operation, the Gyumri branch has had more than 2,000 graduates, many of whom are world-renowned artists, teaching, both in Armenia and abroad, working, holding senior positions, managing cultural institutions, foundations, museums, etc. Many of our graduates have started their own businesses - clothing studios, boutiques, decorative metal companies, design houses, Armenian eyewear brands, etc. One of the most important achievements of the Gyumri branch of the SAFA in recent years is its truly professional teaching staff. During these years, thanks to the efforts of the staff of the branch, the academy has been gradually replenished with modern laboratories of clothing modeling, decorative applied arts, non-ferrous metals, graphic printing and design. It is noteworthy that the Gyumri branch is the only university in the whole Transcaucasia where there is a forge, where students also learn the art of blacksmithing, preserving and developing the traditions of blacksmithing in Gyumri. Academy is also the only higher education institution in the Caucasus, where, in addition to classical graphic printing, alternative printing methods are cyanotype, resinotype, silk printing, etc.
                                                                                                                        Vahagn Ghukasyan

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