Nora (Gentbrugge, 2000), Laurice & Nora (Gentbrugge, 2010), Nora (Gentbrugge, 2016)

"The trauma of the catastrophe of 1915 continues to determine and haunt the Armenian communities across the world in the present-day. This haunting reveals itself in a political-historical way, but it may also return in a Proustian way. A personal memory that you thought you had forgotten, but that suddenly comes to the surface." Mekhitar Garabedian, 2018.

In these three scenes by artist Mekhitar Garabedian, we see his mother Nora Garabedian and grandmother Laurice Karaguezian making 'sarma', a traditional Ottoman dish. Preparing this food is no mean feat: filling and rolling the vine leaves requires hours of work around the table, a task that is usually reserved for women. While preparing this staple dish from their culture, his mother is watching Flemish TV channels. In these moments, the living room of the Karaguezian-Garabedian family in Ghent is charged with the mixed feelings and experiences that migration brings with it.

The three scenes are taken from 16 years of footage Mekhitar Garabedian shot using three different video formats: Hi8, DVCAM and HD. Inspired by the work of filmmaker Chantal Akerman, Garabedian shows how familiar traditions of the past live on in the present, offering support and a sense of security. Showing the daily lives of his mother and grandmother is very important to the artist, as is the intergenerational aspect. The work refers to the various migration experiences of his family. Garabedian wants to understand how the past shapes the present; the things they were forced to leave behind, but also the remnants they carried with them through culture, language or food.