InternationalAram’s iron-forged triangle: faith, family, work
Published: Saturday July 14, 2007 in Armenia at work
Armenian Reporter. Armenian Reporter
"I would say it in the words of our Lord: Labor was the result of Original Sin. When Adam and Eve sinned, God said to the woman, ‘In pain shall you give birth,' and to Adam he said, ‘You shall earn your bread by the sweat of your brow.' That is to say, to gain our daily bread, we have to suffer pain, we have to sweat. That's it. And we have to live with that.
"But there is an important caveat: what we lost with Adam is being restored to us through Christ. In other words, when we turn to Christ, sorrow is taken away from us. Labor is not a torture for us anymore; it can go on with ease, and in some sense it can even become a blessing."
The insight comes from Aram Antonyan, a blacksmith and the hero of this installment of our "Armenia at Work" series. He was responding to my concluding interview question, about his perceptions of work.
When he talks about these things, it's clear that Aram is not just spouting fine words. "The words of our Lord" are things that come very naturally to his mind, because it's the way he really thinks - the way he lives and works, and above all the way he creates.
And he does indeed create. Because Aram, who will celebrate his 50th birthday this year, is more than a blacksmith. Those hands now dedicated to the hammer and anvil once held a sculptor's chisel. Aram was initiated into the art of chiseling at the Panos Terlemezian Art College, and only years later chose to take up blacksmithing as a profession.
Just like in the movie
In ancient Greece they would say that nothing is accidental in this life, nothing happens by chance, and even seeming coincidences have a cause-and-effect explanation.
I think about that as I reflect on my prior failed efforts to find a blacksmith in Yerevan. One forging shop I found had closed and moved away; another shop was nowhere to be found at the address I was given; and when I finally did meet with a blacksmith, he didn't want to talk to me for some reason.
But maybe it was for the best. Because it led me to Yerevan's Leningradian Street, to a small house with a strange fa?ade and a signboard reading "Blacksmithing" and "Triangle." And when I looked through the half-opened door, I understood that here, at last, was not only a blacksmith worth writing about, but one that I had to write about!
When you are looking for a blacksmith or a forge in Yerevan, it's impossible to ignore the name "Triangle." The Triangle is one of Armenia's favorite movies, which tells the story of the Mkrtich family of blacksmiths from Gyumri. It's clear that in choosing this name Aram meant to pay tribute both to his favorite movie and to the tradition it portrays.
The forge in the movie got its name from its triangular shape, and Aram says that he tried to follow the same plan when it came to building his own shop: "It was the movie that suggested the idea of naming the forge ‘Triangle.' Besides, it does have a triangular shape: the ceiling and walls cut in to make a triangle, and in the front part both the glass and stone segments have a triangular shape. Aghasi Ayvazyan [the well-known screenwriter of the movie] has not visited this place yet, but Armenia TV's ‘The Story of a Film' segment about The Triangle movie was shot here."
The forge is where our interview is taking place, but it's hard to tell at first glance whether you're in a blacksmith's shop or a sculptor's studio - or whether you've wandered into some kind of ethnographic exhibit.
"This is not our workshop," Aram explains. "We have one, but "Triangle" is something different. We don't like to call it an ‘office'; this is our ‘art studio,' if you wish." He smiles: "Our poets in the times of Toumanian had their Vernatun, and this is our Vernatun, if you like."
Everything is neatly ordered and in its place. Numerous pieces testifying to a distinctive creative imagination and the gifted hands of an ironmaster are on display throughout the place. But nothing is obtrusive; nothing hinders the view; everything is a pleasure to observe. On the right of the forge is the bellows, on the left hang the ironmaster die and other instruments. The sledgehammer rests on the anvil. An original chandelier hangs from the ceiling; a pitcher sits on a sinuous, ornamented rest. To left and right are pieces of newly forged railings; right across is a garden lamp in the shape of a tangled vine decorated with iron grape leaves. Next to it, a Venetian lantern; on the walls and table, ancient pots and pans. Then a sideboard, and above - a picture of Ararat, of course. In one corner radio sets from the 1950s sit on handmade stands. In the next corner, right in front of the icon of Christ, is a hand-made candlestick.
Among all this, the first thing that strikes the eye of a newcomer is the greatcoat of a Soviet army infantryman draped on a hanger made by the ironmaster. And then there's the modern computer, standing starkly against a backdrop of ancient utensils.
Blacksmith dynasty
Entering a small office of the "Triangle" I notice among some old musical instruments on the wall a 15- to 20-year-old photograph. Aram catches my glance and explains: "Here we are with my brothers and apprentices. In the upper row are the apprentices. And below you can see my brothers, my cousin, and me, with my elder son."
It's at this point that I learn that Aram has three brothers. In fact, all four Antonyans are engaged in blacksmith work. This was a great surprise to me. Although it was not possible to talk to all the brothers - they were busy with work - I'm satisfied that the meeting with Aram Antonyan will be something to remember for a long time. I ask him to tell me about himself and his brothers in greater detail.
"There are four of us: the oldest Tigran, then me, then Armen and Arthur. All four are blacksmiths, although this is not a hereditary thing. Our father, Samvel Antonyan, was an architect. By the way, we also are not blacksmiths by training. Two of my brothers are artists, another is a teacher. As for me I am a professional sculptor, graduated from Terlemezian College. We come from Kapan, Syunik, where we still maintain ties with many relatives, and visit them regularly.
