"Open the Getar River": Walking action with environmental artist Anna-Lea Kopperi

Visual artist Anna-Lea Kopper invites you to participate in her Open the Getar River initiative by walking along the visible and invisible course of the Getar River. We suggest the citizens of Yerevan to use their senses and mind to understand what is happening in their public space. Down in the gloomy canal, rats scurry through the rubbish. the flow of water is almost inaudible. The fish are no longer able to swim in the river, so the participants will have to carry them in their arms through congested streets and parking lots. The hand-made white cloth fish, which we will carry on our hands, have 2.5-meter long white tails, which will lick and carry away the dust of the streets of Yerevan. The global problems of water scarcity and declining biodiversity are here and now.

While walking along the bank of the river, the younger generation can hear the whispers of the older generations telling about how we used to swim in the river in the 1950s. The devaluation of the river began during the period of Soviet functionalism. Later, the fetid Getar, instead of being cleaned of sewage and solid waste, was channeled into the canal, and in the 2000s it was completely closed, remaining under the street and parking lot. Are we asking too much, demanding that garbage cans be placed near the houses of people living on the river bank and cleaned regularly? Are we asking for too much, asking for political interest to understand the human needs as well as the multifaceted benefits that will arise from restoring a healthy living environment in the center of Armenia's capital?

What can we do? We will publish a manifesto on opening the Getar River. Young participants will distribute postcards asking passers-by to observe and study the actual condition of the river. We will ask people to fill out those cards and send them to the address of their choice to places where the condition of the river can be reassessed and changed.

Anna-Lea Koppery creates her environmental and participatory art works in different parts of the world. The Finnish artist's visual works have been exhibited at such significant cultural events as the 56th Venice Biennale in Italy and Documenta X in Kassel, Germany. Among his recent exhibitions are Dive into Emotions, Yerevan, 2023, NordiSkulptur, Helsinki (Finland) and Copenhagen (Denmark), 2022, Dream Lake, Yerevan, 2021. Kopperi realizes his projects, characteristic of the place, both in artistic spaces and in the everyday environments of the participants of the projects. Kopperi's permanent environmental sculptures are installed in several European cities. His Endless Berry Trail was planted in 2022. in Lahti, Finland. Together with the young participants of the Alternative Youth Center, in 2023 heHe also createda permanent work of environmental art, the Garden of Diversity, in the courtyard of the Alternative Youth Center.

This initiative is also implemented together with the Alternative Youth Center and in cooperation with the Finnish Cultural Foundation.

For additional information, it is necessary to contact Arpine Galfayan of the Alternative Youth Center: phone: +374 (091) 30 95 74, or send a message to E-mail: Email: arpinegalfayan@apy.am