Karén Mirzoyan chose to photograph people in Armenia, where he lives, who had seriously considered or unsuccessfully attempted suicide.

He noticed that within his subjects, a fire had been rekindled when they failed to kill themselves.

“Something or someone prevented them from committing suicide at the last moment. These are people who have been very close to death by their own hand,” says Karen, who currently works for the armenianow.com online magazine in Armenia after four years as a photojournalist with a number of publications in the country.

He has also exhibited in Armenia and undertaken a number of photographic projects. Karen lives in Yerevan and attended a World Press Photo seminar there in 2004.

“The subject is very topical in Armenia where the number of suicides grows,” he continues. During 2004, three hundred and fifty five people took their own lives. During the first four months of 2005 another 131 people are dead.”

“But these are just statistics. I am very interested about the thoughts a person has during his or her last seconds, what makes them take the step.”

The people who agreed to be photographed do not show the faces they had at the time of their unsuccessful attempts, says Karen. Indeed, many of them now laughingly look back on a difficult period of their life.