“Early morning, just as the sun was coming up, we reached Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi. The students launched their drones and started capturing the exterior. Two local teens from Artsakh came over with questions. Then the priest invited us inside and let us film and record while he sang sharakan hymns. The acoustics in those stone walls made his voice unforgettable. It’s a sound I’ll never forget,” says 3D modeling specialist and experimental photographer Jason (Jay) Perez.

That day in 2019 remains his most vivid memory from the many learning labs he has led with TUMO students in Artsakh and Armenia. Maybe it is why he kept coming back. Since then, Jay has returned nine more times, leading a total of ten learning labs across Stepanakert, Gyumri, Yerevan, Dilijan, Koghb, and Yeghegnadzor.

Learning labs are a cornerstone of TUMO’s learning program. Students build real projects under the guidance of visiting experts from organizations like Microsoft, NASA, and Google, among many others. Even with packed schedules, lab leaders often return to continue projects or launch new ones. Jay Perez is among the most frequent returning lab leaders.

^{From Jason Perez’s workshops over the years}

In Jay’s learning lab, students learned to work with advanced 3D laser scanning cameras such as Matterport and FARO Focus 5, as well as drones. Together they produced precise 3D models of landmarks in Armenia and Artsakh. Some of these sites are now inaccessible or at risk, including Gandzasar, Dadivank, Ghazanchetsots, and others. To share the results widely, students used Pix4D Mapper to build VR environments that let people anywhere “visit” the monuments and appreciate their architecture.

“The biggest challenge is blending technical skill with an artistic point of view. I encourage students to see technology not just as a tool but as a language they can use to tell their own stories. Real growth happens when technical mastery connects to creative goals,” Jay says.

Jay’s introduction to photography as a teenager was a turning point in his life. The camera became a storytelling instrument that could carry ideas, emotions, and culture all at once. He studied photography at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena and spent a decade in advertising, collaborating with Travel + Leisure, Forbes, Condé Nast, Netflix, and Disney.

Curiosity then pulled him toward new tools and perspectives. First came drones, which he calls “tripods in the sky.” Then came 3D. Advances in VR headsets, projection software, and scanning technologies opened the door to something beyond images. Jay began creating visual experiences and immersive storylines.

In 2023, alongside Jay’s learning lab, TUMO expanded a program to 3D-scan Armenian cultural heritage and make it publicly accessible. In the weeks following the 2020 war, TUMO staff digitized dozens of sites across the Martuni, Martakert, Askeran, and Berdzor districts of Artsakh, and later scanned many monuments in border regions of Artsakh and Armenia. Today the archive includes more than 260 digital monuments.

The results of TUMO’s collaboration with Jay were presented at the 17th Venice Architecture Biennale as part of TUMO’s “Learning to Learn Together” installation.

“Armenia’s extraordinary cultural heritage deserves to be documented and shared. TUMO gave me the chance to work with talented teens who have a huge appetite for learning,” Jay says. Thinking back to the Ghazanchetsots workshop and the students who were there, he adds, “The proud look on their faces always reminds me why this work matters.”

Jay is not stopping at ten learning labs. He plans to develop a larger educational program that helps students engage with state-of-the-art tools at scale.

See you soon, Jay.