Post #194

#talks ODRA’s Katya Ceppel has talked to members of Abastan, a self-organized community in the mountains of Armenia. All united by a common ghost called the post-Soviet, some of them were forced to change their residence, some have changed it at will, but together they have launched construction of a new cultural center on the site of an abandoned factory, creating a space about hope, contemporary art, unity and trust. Abastan prefers not to call itself an art residency after stories of disappointment from participants: they openly declare that it is not only a residency with art laboratories and research of the local cultural code, but also a construction site. However, after the building would be completed, the Abastan team has big plans for cultural integration into the local community, along with the creation of their own. read