“I SUGGEST YOU ALL, ONE DAY, VISIT
Brothers Vicken and Raffi Tarkhanian were awared the Arshile Gorky medals for designing and constructing the Armenian Genocide Orphans’ “Aram Bezikian” Museum in the presence of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia in addition to other prominent governmental officials and intellectuals within the Republic of Armenia.
Concept
On the occasion of the 100th commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, the Tarkhanian brothers designed and constructed the first museum in the Diaspora, outside of Armenia, dedicated to the Armenian Genocide victims and survivors. The museum was constructed in the Byblos area, specifically, in the Bird’s Nest Orphanage that, immediately after the tragic massacres of 1915, hosted orphans who had survived those massacres. This project transformed their pillars of shelter into an eternal space of recognition and remembrance. By incorporating advanced architectural and design techniques and skills, the museum tells the story of the surviving orphans and honors Maria Jacobson, the Danish Missionary, who devoted her life to care for these thousands of orphans.
This project transformed their pillars of shelter into an eternal space of recognition and remembrance.
By incorporating advanced architectural and design techniques and skills, the museum tells the story of the surviving orphans and honors Maria Jacobson, the Danish Missionary, who devoted her life to care for these thousands of orphans.
The museum is comprised of two sections:
The external playground at the entrance and Mama’s garden and the internal section which is divided into three zones: The first devoted to the Genocide, the second representing the orphans’ daily lives, and the third reflective of the Renaissance of the Armenian Nation.
