closing the season celebration

On November 13, the Closing Celebration of the first warm Abastan season took place. Before leaving for the winter hibernation, the people of Abastan, their friends and kids of Tumanyan performed a magical ritual. They were told a legend that Egr heard from a wise Vishap on the way to Karinj.

The Tumanyan kids were invited to explore a legend about the ABASTAN BOOK OF СREATURES, found in the attic of the Factory building, was modeled. Timofey created colorless, empty masks of the СREATURES. According to the "prediction of the wise old Vishap", only the Tumanyan kids can open the BOOK, name and visualize the mythological СREATURES, and send them to hibernation until spring, so that they do not yearn all winter from cold and darkness, do not embarrass the jackals, but gain strength and wisdom for the next season.

Thanks to Arevik and Armen, our local friends and guides to the world of the unknown Armenian language, we were able to get Tumanyan kids interested in this story and start an "experiment". Timofey and Ira helped the kids color and "revive" the masks of СREATURES, write their names and descriptions in the BOOK, and determine their habitats on the Tumanyan map.

Children in masks of СREATURES had fun: they frolicked, jumped, galloped and at sunset they performed a ritual farewell dance of the autumn sun, which was captured in a stop motion by Egr, Yana and one of Yana's daughters.

When the sun went down, the kids handed over the BOOK to two mysterious Abastanians, who sealed it and solemnly took it back to the darkness and silence of the attic of the building of the former textile factory until the sun of the next year comes and wakes up the СREATURES with hot rays.

The creatures of Abastan went into hibernation listening to the lullaby jam that Slava had put together together with the musical heroes of the outgoing season: Dima, Andrey, Arseny and Makar. Farewell tracks sounded in the cold emptiness of the hall and Abastan fell asleep. Until the spring.

On November 13, all the mulled wine brewed by Vova was drunk and all the cakes created by Lisetta were eaten. Valera-the-Cat checked that Abastan was lying low in order to gain strength for the next season.

On the 13th, the whole action was witnessed by the works of the artists of Abastan: graphics on textiles by Dasha Fedorova, painting by Argavan Majd, sculptures by Anna Haiko, objects and paintings by Arseniy Z., video installation and objects by Andrey Strizhov, ceramics by Liza Khoreva, graphics and painting by Alexandra Kalinicheva, grattage by Egra Nagaen and wall graphics by Alexandra Koroleva, the textile and printing works by the Tsekh Animatcii, as well as the life sketches by Abastanians and the drawings of the Kids of Tumanyan.

Thanks to everyone who helps make this story happen. Warm winter to all who seek shelter!

Many thanks to Arevik, Armen and Varshap, our local friends, without whom we would not have managed even half of what we had planned.