Dear Sir or Madam,

This edition of our newsletter magazine, eight days a week – or simply 8daw – is a special one: it is our very first English edition. With this issue, we want to share the joy and inspiration we felt during the 8daw study trip to Armenia with our international network. Through this newsletter, we aim to capture the richness of our experiences: the conversations with designers and architects, typeface designers and researchers, book restorers and exhibition curators. We want to share the warmth of our encounters with lavash bakers, winemakers, and so many others who welcomed us with open arms. Each image in this issue is a window into these moments of connection and discovery.

We’d love to hear your thoughts and questions about this journey. For those curious to dive deeper, we also highlight two events from our time in Armenia, now documented on the GRANSHAN website: Roadshow & Celebration 2024 in Yerevan and Lectures @TUMO Yerevan 2024: EMPOWERING FUTURE.

No alphabet – no written language: no possibility of storing culture, no fixed agreements or memories, no saved fairy tales; no Bible. Soon after Christianity was established in Armenia, around 405, the monk Mesrop Maschtoz developed an alphabet on behalf of King Vramshapuh of the Sasanian Dynasty, which he used to translate the Bible into Armenian. Only through the complex cultural technology of writing – making thoughts visible – and reading did it become possible to gain true awareness of oneself and others. The Armenians consider Mesrop Maschtoz a saint.

Anyone who takes the time to explore the history of writing in Armenia and the world by visiting the central archive for ancient Armenian manuscripts, the Matenadaran (correctly: Mesrop Maschtoz Institute for Ancient Manuscripts), which towers over Yerevan, will significantly expand their range of perception. This is especially true because having something in black and white is not just metaphorically helpful. The written form, often required, ensures accountability and verifiability. Whether the evidence is deemed sufficient, however, depends on the rule of law – or, quite simply, on power. In this respect, it is particularly exciting to read the records of the Mesrop Mashtoz student Koriun about the life of his teacher. The text is even available in English translation.

Statue of Mesrop Mashtots in the Script Garden behind the Saint Mesrop Mashtots Church in Oshakan.

At the suggestion of the Armenian poet Gagik Khachatryan, the Yerevan architect Jim Torosian designed and built 39 larger-than-life letters for the Armenian Alphabet Monument near the village of Artashavan, at the foot of Mount Aragats.

At a total height of 51 metres, the heroic, angular Mother Armenia stands guard over the entire city on a hill in Victory Park, where a no-less heroic statue of Stalin glorified the totalitarian dictator until it was demolished in 1962. The old town was demolished to create the Republic Square (formerly Lenin Square), and to make way for a social centre – with some of the city's most magnificent buildings made of the shimmering pink, natural volcanic rock (which is why Yerevan is also known as the Pink City).

Few things last in Yerevan, this city of millions that lies in between. Between yesterday and tomorrow, east and west, fear and hope. Founded probably as early as the fourth millennium BC, it has repeatedly renewed itself, often without regard for established structures. Between 1513 and 1737 alone, Yerevan changed hands 14 times between the Persians and the Ottomans. It was only in 1827 that it came under the influence of Russia – which has left a clear architectural mark. Nevertheless, it is worth looking for the pink and black tuff buildings and the winding alleys of the oldest district, Kond.

Perhaps the petrol stations of the big city are so prevalent because Armenia has no oil wells of its own. Quite unlike its hostile neighbour Azerbaijan ...

A theater play called Suitcase (in Russian: ЧЕМОДАН) is trying to attract attention...

The residents of Gyumri jokingly refer to their city as the center of the world, displaying a self-deprecating humor. However, they speak much more earnestly when calling Gyumri the capital of humor – so much so that an anthropologist has studied the significance of this claim. And indeed, when one takes a closer look at the city and its history, it appears to mean quite a lot.

A wide variety of ethnic groups have been present there since the 19th century, mostly for military reasons. With them came cultural and religious differences and a feeling of powerlessness in the face of occupiers and foreign rulers. Finally, there was the devastating earthquake of 1988, which claimed tens of thousands of lives and remains a profound national trauma. Humour can't change any of that, but it does help to make reality more bearable, to balance contradictions – and humour is liberating.

Gyumri seems to be gradually shaking off the shadows of the past. Shadows that are still visible in the cityscape: construction defects, poverty. But there are also beautiful, charming corners and there is a lot of excitement: a lively art scene with increasing international connections, numerous galleries and an art biennale, two universities, the Gyumri Technology Center, which aims to develop the city into Armenia's IT centre, an offshoot of the Tumo Center for Creative Technologies and much more. Lastly, it was from Gyumri that Nikol Pashinyan, Armenia's Prime Minister, launched his protest march, igniting the Velvet Revolution in April 2018.

Gyumri has a captivating charm, the omnipresent transience repeatedly opens up new vistas. And in between: history, history, history...

Why Armenia? Antonio Montalto, a Sicilian who has been living in Gyumri since 1989, answers with a smile: “Because the world lacks Armenian values, especially in times of globalisation”. Gyumri has the historical and cultural potential to become an extremely lively interface between art and craftsmanship, between trade and tourism, between reassurance and reconciliation. The TUMO Centre is also committed to Gyumri, and aims to develop the former large market square in the city centre into a new food centre with traders and a cooking school for children.

The garden of the Hotel Villa Kars has something magical about it: phenotypically, the ensemble represents the approximately 1,500 residential and commercial buildings in Gyumri built in the late 19th century Armenian Belle Epoque style, which were preserved despite the severe earthquake of 1988. In addition to the 15 hotel rooms, the building also houses the Gyumri Artistic Handicraft Center of Antonio Montalto and his foundations Family Care and Friends of Gyumri, with an impressive ceramics showroom and sales area.

Founded in 2011 by the US-American entrepreneurial couple Sam and Sylva Simonian, who are of Armenian descent, in conjunction with Marie-Lou Papazian, who has been CEO from the outset, the TUMO-Center for Creative Technologies in Yerevan is a unique educational project. On a voluntary basis, young people are given the opportunity to discover their creativity in dealing with new technologies and to develop new creative skills under the guidance of professionals from the respective creative technology sector.

The learning experience is remarkable: from taking their first steps on a computer to participating in workshops and completing their own ambitious projects in the TUMO Labs – all of this is offered entirely free of charge. The TUMO Center has impressively demonstrated how successful such a learning program can be. Every year, thousands of teenagers participate, and over time, creativity has consistently proven to be the essential driving force behind shaping meaningful future possibilities. Years ago, IBM commissioned a study in which CEOs were asked what the most important leadership skill is today. The result: “Creativity is the most important leadership skill in a world that is more volatile, uncertain and complex than ever before”. In the meantime, TUMO has not only opened branches in Armenia itself, but a whole series of TUMO centres have been established internationally, including in Paris, Kiev and Berlin. And the number is growing. An idea born in Armenia is now transforming the world.

Traditional Armenian lavash is on UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Bread is so important to Armenians that the expression ‘to eat bread’ is used to refer to breakfast, lunch and dinner. This bread is also a wonderful example of a ritual, both in the way it is made, as can be seen in the pictures above, and in the way it is consumed. The result of the elaborate production process is, so to speak, a universal tool for eating: a filling, but also a lid to keep warm, a sustainable napkin and cutlery for a Kash meal or barbecue gloves for preparing and eating Khorovats, both very popular Armenian dishes.

Traditionally, only women make lavash: they start by twirling a dough sheet until it is paper-thin …

... on a special cushion and with a lot of swing, clap it against the wall of the oven, called Tonir. You can see it here.

Armenia, the oldest Christian country in the world, lies at the crossroads of cultures between the Occident and the Orient. The cross, a symbol of salvation from indescribable suffering and pain, resistance against foreign powers carved in stone, created from the stones of the country, mostly red tuff, accompanies travellers through Armenia. There is also a cross stone like this on a small hill in the middle of the plain of the Arax Valley. Up there, where, according to legend, the cruel King Trdat kept Saint Gregory the Illuminator imprisoned in a cave for about 14 long years, stands the monastery of Chor Virap – which roughly translates as deep dungeon in English.

From the Chor Virap monastery, travellers theoretically have an outstanding view of the holy mountain Ararat (which likes to shroud itself in clouds and haze). For those who are (all too often) disappointed, there is not only touristy trinkets at the car park with its adjacent cemetery, but also pomegranate wine (be warned: it is sweet), black tea (called chai here) and Armenian brandy (of course, the Ararat brand – after extensive testing, the 10-year-old is more than recommended).

In Armenia, the script and the church are inextricably linked. Behind the protective walls of the churches, there are tablets, gravestones and inscriptions documenting the three main stages in the development of Armenian script: the rather robust and angular Erkat'agir script, with its monumental character, was widely used until the Middle Ages; the Bologir script, which was developed to better suit the way people write by hand, with more rounded letters; and finally the Notrgir chancery script, an italic script suitable for fast writing.

Food culture – the term leaves no doubt as to how much a country's cuisine says about its character. The Germans, with their complicated but not particularly refined dishes, the French, as quality-conscious connoisseurs, the convincing simplicity of Italian food. Armenians, the majority of whom live in the diaspora, see more in food than a mirror of their soul – it creates identity. The country's traditional cuisine is simple: fresh vegetables, fruit, and especially (wild) herbs characterise the taste instead of exotic spices. Simple herbs and sheep's cheese wrapped in lavash – typically Armenian.

The conviviality and hospitality of the people here is just as typical: the aforementioned Khash and the Khorovats meat skewers take a long time to prepare, as does Harissa, a porridge made from wheat that has been cooked almost endlessly with chicken. All of these dishes are an integral part of communal celebrations and are celebrated in style. Perhaps that is why, despite its vegetarian focus, the cuisine seems rather meat-heavy to travelers in Armenia: Armenians are proud of their meat dishes and because it is the most expensive thing they have to offer, they naturally serve it to their guests.

Vast, endless vastness. The valleys cut generously into the rather gentle mountain waves – which, in their barrenness, offer no (optical) support. Every small rock pile helps on the way back from Lake Kari. At least until the minibus drives uphill without accelerating, as the bus driver demonstrates with a smile. It is said that in these mountains, gravity is suspended – a later check of the claim reveals that the gravitational anomaly is nothing more than an optical illusion. But what an illusion!

The M2 main road is one of Armenia’s key traffic arteries. Stretching 380 kilometers, it connects Yerevan in the southeast of the country with the province of Vayots Dzor and extends to the border region with Iran. Due to the closed borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan, the Syunik province near the small town of Agarak holds particular significance for Armenia’s foreign trade. The route to this area winds between Azerbaijan’s mainland and its exclave, the Autonomous Republic of Nakhichevan.

A popular shortcut, especially for heavy goods vehicles, passes through Jerash in the Ararat province and Kerki, which is located in another, much smaller Azerbaijani exclave. However, this route has been the site of repeated exchanges of gunfire. Consequently, the German Foreign Office has issued a travel warning for the area. Despite this, as of September 2024, there are no checkpoints or controls along the route.

The red-brown sandstone formations along the road to Kerki are stark and archaic. The history of this idiosyncratic-looking area is also characterised by strangeness and full of contradictions: the village of Kerki is located in its centre. Founded in the 10th century, Kerki is now an Azerbaijani exclave with a population of Armenian origin, surrounded by Armenian territory.

A country at risk: along the shortcut to the M2 main road, protective walls and redoubts rise up out of the landscape, serving as a reminder of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which has repeatedly flared up and claimed thousands of lives. Both countries have been claiming the Nagorno-Karabakh region since their independence in 1918. Even after 106 years, reconciliation between the parties to the conflict remains a distant prospect.

Armenia's wine-making tradition is as firmly rooted as gnarled vines in the earth. As evidenced by the oldest known winery in the world, complete with a wine press, storage vessels and ladles, uncovered in the Areni-1 cave. Chemical analyses of the grape seeds found here show that Armenians were adapting wild grape varieties and selectively breeding them as early as 6000 BC. The fact that the Babylonians imported Armenian wine, although they also had Assyrian competition available, shows that the result of wine-making was excellent even in ancient times. What is truly remarkable, however, is that of the 6,000 grape varieties known worldwide, 1,200 grow in Armenia and – according to DNA analyses – are mainly indigenous.

This vinicultural-genetic miracle is thanks to the American phylloxera: when this pest was introduced to Europe in the 19th century, it destroyed almost all of the continent's vineyards. The only varieties to survive in Europe were the resistant American grape varieties, which gave rise to famous wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Merlot, as well as Rioja and Montepulciano. Fortunately, phylloxera was unable to find its way into the Armenian highlands or the little creature simply had too much respect for Noah, the saviour of the animal kingdom and supposedly the father of viticulture at Mount Ararat.

The Zorah winery uses amphorae for wine storage – just like the ones found in the nearby Areni-1 cave.

Zorik and Oshin Gharibian of Zorah are reclaiming the oldest wine-growing region in the world for outstanding wines of today.

At the beginning of September 2024, a small group set out to visit colleagues in Armenia (again) and learn something about how they live and work. The Typographische Gesellschaft München (tgm) had undertaken a similar trip for the first time in November 2009, led by Catherine Avak – among other things, the GRANSHAN project in its current form emerged from this trip, after a reception with the then Minister of Culture, Hasmik Poghosyan.

The encounters and conversations with colleagues were once again the decisive basis for understanding the challenges and opportunities of Armenian design... and life. A very big thank you to the TUMO Studios, the Storaket Architectural Studio, the Zuck Independent Agency, the Priscart Design Studio and the branding and packaging designers from Formascope.

All of this would not have been possible without the tremendous help of our Armenian friends and colleagues: in particular, the TUMO team led by Carla Stamboulian, Hulé Kechichian and, of course, Pegor Papazian, who opened doors and provided access for us. But the same goes for our GRANSHAN friends, from Edik Ghabuzyan to Angela Poghosova and Ruben Malayan, from Davit Ghazaryan to Gagik Khachatyran and Hrachui Grigorian. And last but not least, Zorik and Oshin Gharibian from Zorah Winery, whom we were able to meet through Jörg Linke and Eberhard Spangenberg.

Our small travel group was very enthusiastic about the handcrafted label for the world's first gin with mountain thyme from the Armenian highlands. Armenak Grigoryan and Ani Gevorgyan from Formascope used it to express the multi-layered content of OSKI.

Meroujan Minassian's heart beats for socially relevant buildings. Of course, the architecture studio Storaket also builds residential buildings, office buildings and villas. But it gets really exciting when the co-founder talks about his ideas of learning and how this must be reflected in architecture.

TUMO STUDIOS is a relatively new free educational programme for young adults with a passion for craftsmanship and design. They offer studios in areas such as fashion, jewellery, embroidery, ceramics, printing, product design and culinary arts. It complements the educational programme of the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies – Patil Jivian gave us a fantastic insight into the concept and the very concrete work.

Zuck Independent Agency in Yerevan is a creative agency specialising in branding, design and digital strategies. It supports companies in building strong brands and developing innovative communication solutions. In addition to commercial projects, Zuck is passionately committed to social initiatives and uses creative approaches to bring about positive change in society. For example, the CalenDare Against Plastic consists of tear-off bags – a concept that is as obvious as it is innovative for avoiding plastic waste.

And a big thank you to our friend Ruben Malayan, who introduced us to the Armenian script and calligraphy. And, in passing, told us about the difficulties of everyday life and especially of educational institutions. During our stay, Veronika Burian conducted an interview with him for the GRANSHAN project; here is the link.

Even the journey to the Matenadaran, the Mesrop Maschtoz Institute for Ancient Manuscripts, was dramatic: the wind of the last few days had blown over street signs and the curator, senior researcher and GRANSHAN juror Davit Ghazaryan greeted us standing on the strong shoulders of Maschtoz. The institute's permanent exhibition is a sanctuary for script and book experts – and the restoration department enjoys a worldwide reputation.