I have to start by saying this is the most challenging chapter for me to talk about, not because of the past, but because of now and also the future, not having any idea if the people or the places that I visited still exist or still exist in the way that I want them to exist. And I often think about this,

 

I came to Armenia at an exciting time, in May 2018, the Armenian Revolution. At the same time, I had my first introduction to Nagorno Karabakh, which has many names that are normal for territories with conflict over ownership. I learned about this place when I learned about this contemporary art festival planned for Stepanekert through the curator at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Anna Kamay. I was excited by the idea of being able to participate. Not only could I participate, but I was also invited to be part of the planning group that made the first initiation.

 

I got to go to Stepanakert, at the city theater, which was no longer an active theater, and be part of this. It is what needed to be done to make such a festival happen. It was a complete trip. It was full of meetings, drinking vodka, and eating home-cooked meals. I even went to a crowded bar in the center of Stepanerkert and played my favorite songs on a jukebox.

 

I particularly enjoyed my time with the official government, cultural organizers, and youngish men who had really high hopes for the culture and art scene in Stepanerkert. Not only did one take us out, and we drove in his car listening to Ramstein, but I was also taken on an incredible hike through the mountains and saw incredible landscapes.

 

I was also invited as part of the group. I. To be on national Nagorno Karabah television is a full experience only in the way that you can be an artist and have the privilege to participate in these things.

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I have so much love for this place. It was a very special time with a very special goal: to bring alive the theater that was never really abandoned. We were able to all somehow come together and dream of how to bring this place alive.