Another page of cooperation with the Hungarian University
Istvan Eross is a professor at Institute of Visual Arts, Eszterhazy Karoly University in Eger, Hungary. His visit to Armenia was actualised within the frames of Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility programme agreement signed between the above-mentioned university in Eger and State Academy of fine Arts of Armenia.
This year SAFAA lecturer Arthur Hvhannisyan had a visit to the mentioned university for teaching purposes for a week in April. In the conversation SAFAA employee at International Relations Naira Stepanyan informed about the intention to enlarge the cooperation and involve students in the programme as well. Due to the lack of the programme funds, it only covered teaching staff mobility for the first stage of the collaboration agreement. Student mobility assumes more expenses as the period for student mobility is longer, one semester. As for the teaching staff mobility it generally lasts one week. N. Stepanyan also added that financial assistance is provided by Erasmus+ programme in this case.
Istvan Eross is a professor of sculpture whose art is more oriented to making installations with non-traditional approach. The specific character of this approach is in the fact that it is actualized in the open area and with materials typical to the local environment. His lecture at SAFAA Hall covered the above-mentioned theme. He made a presentation about his university in Eger, the faculty where graphic design, fine arts, printing, lithography, film making, etc. were taught. While speaking about the stages of education he mentioned that for the first year of BA programme they apply traditional approach, sculpting, drawing, modelling, for the 2nd year, the students apply different materials and the third year is focused on realizing ideas. The sculptures are prepared in traditional, classical and non-traditional way combining plants, flower seeds, soil, paper, cardboard, leather. The “Four Seasons” programme is actualized implementing materials typical to each season.
The slides also introduced various student exhibitions and International symposiums in Hungary and beyond its borders. Istvan Eross gave detailed information about the type of Art that is called Nature Art. In the slides he introduced his own creations as an example of this type of Art that were mainly made in Korea, Indonesia, Japan, India, Mexico, Iran, South Africa. The peculiarities of the given country, given area are taken into consideration while making a certain art work and local materials are being used in works. Only natural materials are used, wood, stone, cow dung, mold, etc. He introduced, for example, a musical instrument made from stones that was working with the wind, in another work he used 30 000 chopsticks, and for another one he applied mold technique in various ways. There were also large-scale installations among his works. As for the further fate of works, their temporary nature was intended in advance, that is understandable because of the temporary nature of the material used in its creation. Those works were not made for the far future and were transient made for the given period of time. Thus they were in general unique reflections of the ideas of changeability and whatever ephemeral․
In his closing remark, SAFAA Rector Aram Isabekyan highly appreciated the benefits of the presentation-lecture by the Hungarian guest, “They are in advanced European processes of education and we are following the path. We are likewise given the freedom of creating; there is no prohibition to make such experiments. If our Academy intends to make a suggestion of implementing such a programme in the future, our guest will sure be invited to participate in it.”
Melanya Badalyan
