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
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