MILITARY-CULTURAL OBJECT
(working title)

Armenian Open University
"Risk Zone" Workshop

May 2006
"Risk Zone" Workshop

Curators:
Muratbek Djoumaliev and
Gulnara Kasmalieva

Concept:
Border village in Armenia , house of culture (cultural centre).
There is a real story behind this concept, showing how a commune object can be transformed into a military one during the war.

The existential reality urges to look at this metamorphosis as normal, and in this ugliness, again create a feeling of comfort.

This, in turn, is presented as a “novel-installation” about how a theatre stage has turned into a hospital, the amphitheatre into a military barrack, the balcony into storage, the cloakroom into a kitchen and the entrance hall into a dining room.

In this “barrack”, 200 soldiers were sharing their destiny.

The changes happened only inside. By contrast, the theatre's façade as well as the grounds are not changed because of the “camouflage” situation.

The “performance” was titled: “A war that is still going on…”


Description:
12 beds on the stage.
120 double-deck beds with their gear: mattress, blanket, towel, small chair and locker.
1 wounded soldier on the stage and a few soldiers around.
Smell of sweaty feet and the same final human destiny…
And the bravery to understand the tragedy and beauty, and nothing else…
The art object is presented through photos and video installation.

 

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