#WhatDoesItMean_ToYou_Armenia

WALKING TOUR

Pilot Test: Saturday and Sunday, May 27 & 28

A contemplative walk through the city of Yerevan that favors thinking about existential topics. The tour takes place mostly in Arabkir district, in and around Komitas Avenue and ends all the way down in the city center. Komitas Avenue is a 3km long avenue named after the famous composer Komitas. The avenue is the arterial road of Arabkir district in the capital city of Armenia, Yerevan, and it was first opened in 1938.

Humans created cities to have their safe shelter separating themselves from nature, and that very decision automatically separated them from life and everything meaningful in it. Instead they escaped to the city and got carried away in all its made-up routines, tasks, entertainment, consumerism and philistinism. This tour can help create the space to slow down, move away from the distractions of the city by visiting common public locations.

The tour is based on one of my art projects called #WhatDoesItMean_ToYou_Armenia. It is an experimental interactive art project I worked on in 2021. The idea of the project started when I wanted to communicate with the people in the country who can find meaning in the ordinary through art and philosophy discussing topics like love, home, conflict.. etc.

With this tour, you’ll get exposed to quotes by various Armenian figures while discovering a part of the city that is usually not visited by its people or tourists. The spots that you will visit are mundane spots which trigger existential thoughts. During the tour you’ll have the chance to pause in public spaces, neighborhoods or spots that might not attract you to take a second and look around you. People who are natural observers or have interests in writing/drawing/photography can highly enjoy this tour, as it encourages active/creative participation. At the same time, people who are interested in engaging in such activity for the first time are also welcome to participate.

Visualizing Yerevan four week walking tours program is part of Visualizing Memory project. This project is conducted by NIDID and Heinrich Böll Stiftung Yerevan.