loving. It is slow, it seems long. It is short. 

On a special day, I was sitting on my ter- race in Rome, when I noticed the half-moon in a very rare vertical position. It was on the 9th September, by chance my grandmother’s birthday, born in 1900. The sky was still bright, voices of people on the streets suggested a serene late-summer evening. 

My mood was that of a woman with a broken heart, while reflecting about her own, lost love. 

I was here, that strange half part of the moon was there. I observed the moon’s slow crossing over what seemed to me “my sky”. I saw myself as a little individual in a little place, at a little time, living a little life but with a big sentiment, while I was related to such greater dimensions of distance and time. I started to think about love and time. 

In my eyes, that image was dramatically beautiful. It was that, what Love meant for me in this very moment: It is slow, it seems long. It is short. The artistic work, which came out from that experience is the video, I called loving.

Regina Hubner loving

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Images taken at the control room of ROT54 Orgov Radio-Optical Telescope (Herouni Mirror Radio Telescope), in Orgov, Mount Aragats, Armenia. Built in 1975-1985, active until 1990 and shortly in 2012. Now it is in decay. Further information here.

The title “VANYERE” is derived from inverting the syllables of “Yerevan” representing a conceptual abstraction that contrasts with the realistic imagery and symbolizes my incomprehension of the Armenian language and script. VANYERE is the brother-video of KARKHACH, also inspired by my experiences in Armenia.

Radio telescopes capture signals from cosmic events, providing insights into the universe’s history and evolution. Because of the immense distances, these signals take time to reach Earth, often showing us objects as they were in the past, not as they currently are. For instance, signals from a distant galaxy depict its state billions of years ago, by which time, that galaxy might have evolved into a different cosmic structure. Or the light from a supernova explosion might now signify the presence of a black hole.

In front of such giant dimensions of time and space, artist felt the brevity of her own existence.

The abandoned control room, with its fallen clock hands, faded numbers, and cryptic abbreviations on hollowed-out instruments, seemed like a mammoth graveyard, despite being built just a few decades ago. This deepened my sense of vanity.

The sound is recorded live from three street musicians playing flute, accordion, and drum in front of the Geghard Monastery, Ararat province of Armenia, in November 2024.

The popular music, which repetitions progressively increase in speed, contrasts with the scientific instruments of ROT54 from a specific political era.

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The video features Armenian cross-stones, known as Khachkar, from the rock-carved Geghard Monastery in Ararat province and other locations across Armenia. Khachkars are notable examples of medieval Christian Armenian art and are listed in UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage. These carvings continue to be created today and are considered as symbols of Armenian identity. Further information here and here.

The title “KARKHACH” is derived from inverting the syllables of “Khachkar,” representing a conceptual abstraction that contrasts with the realistic imagery and symbolizes my incomprehension of the Armenian language and script. KARKHACH is the sister-video of VANYERE, also inspired by experiences of artist in Armenia.

During my participation at Cyfest 16, artist had the opportunity to visit Armenia and see the renowned Khachkar stelai. She observed similar geometric and organic patterns in architecture and everyday items, such as plates of dried fruit, which led me to contemplate the concept of time’s circularity. The kaleidoscopic vision emphasizes symmetry, rotation, and reflection, contributing to an ornamental flow that is theoretically endless and continuously evolving, much like the enduring nature of stone and the Khachkars, which are still carved in modern days. Endlessness of time.

The sound is recorded live in the Geghard Monastery (Geghardavank), in November 2024. The monastery complex, originally named Ayrivank, was founded in the 4th century and it is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site with enhanced protection status. It is partially rock-caved with a sacred spring inside. Further information here. 

The artist and her colleagues were only a few people in the dark of one of the halls, carved into the mountain. The atmosphere was silent and devotional when a woman started to sing “Ari Im Sokhag (Արի՛, ի՛մ սոխակ)”, a lullaby by Serj Tankian from 1915, composed on the poem by Rafayel Patkanian (psudonym Kamar-Katiba). The lyrics depict a mother who tries to lull her crying baby to sleep. She calls on the lark to help child finally sleep, but only when the falcon appeared did her son fell asleep to the sound of battle songs. It is the call of rebellion that drives the child to comfort and rest, which some draw connection to the Armenian people as a whole. (Gratitude to Rose Eisen for providing the context of the song.)

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The letters were written by the visitors as part of their participative act within the ambientation of “loving” at CYFEST 16: Archive of Feelings. A Journey, HayArt Centre, Yerevan, Armenia, 2024. This participative act constitutes an ongoing core-element of “loving”.

More than 130 letters were collected. 

An environment with desk, chair, lamp, paper-sheets with printed letterhead (the title “loving” and references of the Cyfest festival) and pen was installed in front of the projection of the video “loving”. The visitors were invited to sit at the desk, write a love-letter and deposit it in the drawer. 

The letters are written in many languages, such as Armenian, English, French, German, Indonesian or Russian, some are drawings or empty. They are dedicated to various subjects, such as a never forgotten love story, a newborn nephew, the first ABC learned at school by a little boy, the eternal love, a husband, a wife, a singer, love itself in our times, the exhibition and myself, an imaginary or ended love, mama and papa, life, love, justice, freedom, Armenia and Armenian people, peace and the end of the Russian war, special persons or situations. They also describe episodes, like the falling-in-love just by looking into each other’s eyes, which happened during the opening of CYFEST 16. 

The handwriting is a significant element in my œuvre. The inspiration to invite the visitors of “loving” to write a love-letter originated from the exhibition at the Nuit Blanche Paris in 2018, where many people left heartfelt comments in the guest book. This indicated a widespread desire to engage in what was once an important habit in relationships but has largely diminished due to faster and more convenient forms of communication. Writing a “real” letter to the beloved one means putting one’s sentiment black and white, a signed confirmation of love. The sentiment becomes tangible and eternal, as we all desire.

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