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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2004)
Artist creates 'Link' for AIDS University graduate Mike E. Walsh returned to campus with his new exhibit, ‘Link,’ a commentary on AIDS By Ryan Nyburg Senior Pulse Reporter Oak leaves blanket a floor that holds coffins and ladders; a televi sion plays only static; fragments of poetry are posted on the walls along with test tubes, wooden ears and il luminated plastic flowers. These ob jects may seem random, but each one of them has a very particular meaning to their creator, local artist Mike E. Walsh. Walsh's most recent exhibit, cur rently showing in the Adell McMil lan Gallery, is a form of sculptural art referred to as a site specific instal lation. Entitled "Link," Walsh's ex hibit is intended as a commentary on the HIV/AIDS epidemic. "I'm gay and I've seen a lot of my friends die of AIDS," Walsh said. "Now I'm seeing that this is a topic that is being ignored by the media. It's made me kind of an AIDS activist." Walsh has a long history with conceptual art pieces. After receiv ing a bachelor's of fine arts from the University of Oregon in 1972, he began to tour the country with a piece entitled "Rope Chains," in which he hung a series of ropes around a gallery that could be re arranged by the audience. Since then, he has put on a wide range of exhibitions at galleries and colleges across the country, as well as shows in Australia, Italy and Germany. "Mike has become a really well known installation artist," UO Cul tural Forum Visual Arts Coordina tor Linda Archuletta said. "He redid his entire installation in order to fit into this gallery. He's very accommodating." Danielle Hickey Photo Editor Local artist Mike E. Walsh’s sculptural art, which honors those who have died from AIDS related illnesses, will be on display in the EMU’s Adell McMillan Gallery until April 30. Though he had to rework the ex hibit in order to make it fit within the glass cases of the Adell McMil lan Gallery, Walsh said he didn't have to change much in order to make it work. But since each object has a par ticular symbolic meaning and the objects work together, accommo dating the entire work to a limited space is not an easy task, he said. "I was about to head to Egypt be fore this event, which meant I really had to work this out beforehand," he said. "It was tough to work it all in." A variety of complex symbols work throughout the piece. One of Turn to ARTWORK, page 10 Courtesy The Shoghaken Ensemble will present traditional Armenian folk music at Beall Hall Sunday. Armenian musicians share folk tradition at Beall Concert Hall An octet of performers will visit campus this weekend to perform Armenian music By Natasha Chilingerian Pulse Reporter Few are familiar with the culture and history of Armenia, a small Mid dle Eastern country surrounded by Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan and Georgia. The Armenians have a past which was both successful and tragic — they produced original architecture, literature and inventions, but they were victimized during the Armen ian Genocide of 1915, in which more than 1 million Armenians were killed by the Turks of the Ottoman Empire. But through the area's ups and downs, Armenians' traditional folk music has persevered as a strong part of their culture. The music of Armenia will arrive at Beall Hall on Sunday with the Shoghaken Ensemble, an octet of native Armenian performers who are committed to keeping their ancient folk tradition alive. Radio show host Gil Medovoy, who airs the group's music regularly on his show "Cross ing Continents" in Davis, Calif., said the group displays a high level of tal ent and knowledge. "If they were put alongside the top Western classical musicians, they would all stand at the same level," Medovoy said. The most prominent instrument used in Armenian folk music is the somber double-reed flute called the duduk. Constructed from the trunk of an apricot tree, the duduk sounds melancholy, ancient, and/or bibli cal when played. New York City record producer Harold Hagopian, who records the Shoghaken Ensem ble on his record label, Traditional Crossroads, said Armenians don't always believe that the duduk sounds forlorn. Turn to SHOGHAKEN, page 12 Now On Sale! April 28-May 2 • Hult Center BROADWAY UGENE CALL (541) 682 5000 OR VISIT THE HULT CENTER BOX OFFICE OR WWW.HOLTCENTER.ORG. GROUPS (20+) CALL (541) 744 1962 North Campus 579 E. Broadway 686-1166 South Campus 2870 E. Willamette 686-1600 STUDENT ID SPECIALS • Show Your Student ID • Order by Number X-LARGE 1-TOPPING The Big New Yorker MEDIUM 3-TOPPING Pan, Thin ’N Crispy or Hand Tossed STICKS N WINGS 10 Breadsticks, 12 Wings X-LARGE 3-TOPPING The Big New Yorker £ MEDIUM 1-TOPPINGS Pan, Thin ’N Crispy or Hand Tossed STICKS N WINGS 10 Breadsticks, 24 Wings .$999 .$999 .$999 $1199 $1199 $1199 FREE 2-Liter of Soda with Any Above Order! Delivery charges may apply
