Friday, September 15, 2017

CSUN’s Department of Art faculty and staff showcase their work

This was a new approach to a project that I had been thinking about doing with our Christmas trees for quite some time.


Every year my wife, Maro, likes to get a fresh Christmas tree to celebrate the season and though we have tried to get them in pots, to plant later, we never could find anyone selling them that way -at least for a reasonable price. She likes real trees and not artificial ones, we live in a wooded area, in fact our back yard is on fire as we speak (Tujunga/ Sunland fire about 1/4 mile away} Anyway, every year we get a new tree. I couldn't help noticing how people dumped their trees after the season was over and I just felt there was something disturbing about the way they were discarded. So I started keeping our old trees. I have a collection since we moved into our house since 2001. I had always planned on photographing them and this exhibit offered the opportunity. I love shooting in 3-D so I shot each tree with a standard 2 1/4 format as well as a stereo version. Since it was fresh work, I wanted to see what the best presentation would be for it and I brought everything to James Sweeters at the CSUN gallery to curate. I included actual trees with the work. I think Jim loves a challenge and he came up with a great solution to create a story about my trees. There is something to having the actual subject in the room as opposed to just a picture of it.


On another level, the Christmas Trees project reflects on a changed America, a place where telling people to have a "Merry Christmas" may not be politically correct. As a tradition, the decorated tree came about in Great Britian from Germany in the 18th and 19th centuries. The "Christmas" tree isn't really a religious symbol, just a beloved custom to celebrate a season. So let's call it as it is: a "Holiday" tree.

My "Holiday" Trees, by Levon Parian 2017


My "Holiday" Trees 2001- 2016, Levon Parian

2016, Levon Parian


2015, Levon Parian
2014, Levon Parian

2010, Levon Parian

2001, Levon Parian

Arthur with 2010, Levon Parian 2017


Link to article in CSUN Sundial September, 2017:
http://sundial.csun.edu/2017/09/csuns-department-of-art-faculty-and-staff-showcase-their-work/