Blog about the Dolls

 

Written 17/02/21

In October 2020, I started making dolls and selling them to raise money for charities delivering humanitarian aid to Armenians affected by war in the Republic of Artsakh, an unrecognised independent state in-between the Republic of Armenia and the republic of Azerbaijan. My motivation was to offer my support to the Armenians affected, increase awareness through art.

In 2019 I visited Armenia for four months and at the beginning of 2020 I started working with yarn. My work with yarn has always been in relation to my developing understanding/ interest in my Armenian identity and armenian culture. The first project was an interactive installation that involved inviting people to join me in wrapping objects in yarn. This was called ‘My Jaana’ an endearing term my Grandpa used for referring to his grandchildren. When September came and the terrifying reality started unfolding in Artsakh, I felt compelled to do something and the dolls offered me this, they kept me busy, and brought me in contact with many people who were interested in supporting.

  • Notes on the process of making the dolls:

    • Made entirely of yarn.

    • I started working with yarn in Jan 2020 and started making dolls in October 2020.

    • They take about 3 hours each to make.

    • They weigh roughly 40g

    • My methods of making the dolls have become stronger, more regulated and formulaic.

      The initial dolls have much more varied anatomies.

    • I recently changed my yarn: I am now aware of where the yarn is made and switched from acrylic to cotton.

    • Every cm of the yarn passes through my fingers as I make the bundles.

    • The smaller bundles are two full arms lengths (from hand to hand with arms stretched to

      sides) in length and the larger bundles are 4 arms lengths.

    • To make the limbs of the doll, I attach the bundles, weaving a doubled length of yarn

      through either end of 4 bundles tying knots at either end of the complete limb.

    • Over 50 dolls made and over $1,500 raised.

    • Sometimes whilst making them I listen to podcasts, watch TV/films, chat with friends but

      they also offer a lot of time to think.

      Some things that I have thought about whilst making the dolls:

    • The length of yarn contained within each doll and the

      distance that would cover if un wound and laid out in a straight line. (This can be in relation to a distance from a homeland or from loved ones both imaginary, alive and dead.)

    • They go out into the world. I release them from me, the imaginary strings rolling out. Visible connections and nonvisible connections

    • They have a human form, who are they, who could they be, what do they represent.

 

For me they hold a lot, in moments, they are:

  • Multicoloured cotton and acrylic yarn wound up and strung together in a particular way and formation.

  • People. Armenian. Soldiers, friends, family, strangers, people I relate with and people with whom I feel no connection.

  • Connected to my body. They came into being in my hands.

  • Comfort, soft, small and gentle.

  • Scary, haunting, visceral and fleshy.

  • Alive

  • Dead

  • Spirits

  • Real, visible, weighted. An idea that you can touch.

  • Light and heavy.

  • A time commitment.

  • Hope, fear, love, care, violence, anger.

  • A construction.

  • They have their own stories and lives separate from mine and any story I could imagine

    for them.

I have now almost stopped making the dolls, I am left with the prototypes in my room and thanks to lockdown I spend a considerable amount of time with them everyday. They bring me stability and hope. Making them gives/gave me time to think and selling them offers resources to Armenians in need. I think for everybody they will symbolise and bring up different thoughts, feelings and responses- as does the situation in Artsakh. Their meaning is woven into the context of each person's perspective. They transform under the gaze and in the hands of different people.

Although most fighting has now stopped the situation is still unstable and there are ongoing war crimes being committed and a considerable amount of mis-information, lack of awareness and global support/ interest. I am looking to find ways of continuing my support in a sustainable and ongoing way.

Some articles on the war in Artsakh:

https://sites.google.com/view/artsakhresources/home?authuser=2

The organisation that I donated all funds to- they do great work in general so I really recommend checking them out:
https://kooyrigs.org/looys

A news website and podcast that I listened to whilst making the dolls:

https://www.evnreport.com

Next

My Jaana