Statement on hosting a Yerevan Fashion Week 2024 event at the Soviet Repression Memorial
From 7th till 10th of November Yerevan will host a Fashion week. The organiser of the event — the Fashion and Garment Chamber of Armenia NGO — along with the main sponsor Yerevan Municipality and international partners, have made announcements and publications in this regard.
According to a publication on the Instagram page of the Fashion and Garment Chamber of Armenia NGO on October 30, the Soviet Repression Memorial in Armenia was chosen to host one of the Fashion Week’s events — Fashion Scout Armenia, featuring works by young designers. The message disseminated by the organisation specifically states: "We understand the sensitivity of using this space for a fashion event. Once neglected and privatised, this monument has recently been returned to the care of Yerevan’s municipality. By hosting Fashion Scout Armenia here, we aim to honour the memory of those who suffered under repression and reimagine this space as a place for inspiration and creative expression." There is no clarification on how holding a fashion show in the memorial complex dedicated to the victims of repression in the Soviet past could contribute to rethinking the site or relate to freedom of speech and democracy.
The Visit Yerevan website of Yerevan Municipality does not provide any information about the event held on November 7th and/or its venue. Moreover, the Soviet Repression Memorial is not included in the list of monuments, historical buildings, cultural venues, museums, and other designated places listed on the website. For comparison, while the Cascade Complex is listed in the Unique Places section, the Mother Armenia Museum of Military History of the RA Ministry of Defense appears in the Museums and Galleries section, and the Mother Armenia statue is described in the Monuments section, yet the Soviet Repression Memorial, is entirely absent.
In 2006, as a result of amendments to the Law on Holidays and Memorial Days of the Republic of Armenia, June 14th was declared the Day of Remembrance of the Repressed. The Soviet Repression Memorial, opened in 2008, has become a place of commemoration for the victims of Soviet repressions and their families, serving as a site to remember both the complex and repressive Soviet past and the victims of the Great Purge.The architects of the memorial are Sargis Gurzadyan and Jim Torosian, whose father was also exiled during the Soviet era.
Several publications, along with concerns raised by human rights defenders and cultural practitioners, highlight the fact that the memorial has never received proper attention from the city authorities. Moreover, it is only open on the Day of Remembrance of the Repressed — June 14th.
The precedent of holding the fashion event at the Soviet Repression Memorial reflects the attitude of Yerevan city authorities not only towards the memorial itself but also the cultural rights of society. In particular, the Yerevan Municipality:
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Does not make efforts to preserve the Soviet Repression Memorial and ensure its accessibility to the general public,
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Uses the cultural monument to serve private interests, preventing it from fulfilling its primary purpose,
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Deprives the general public of the opportunity to engage in and/or be part of cultural life at the memorial complex,
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Does not take actions to ensure that particularly those repressed during the Soviet years and their relatives have access to the cultural monument,
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By not conducting the information campaign about the event following open, transparent, and inclusive principles, deprives cultural practitioners, organisations, and communities of the opportunity to respond and express their opinions about the choice of venue and other aspects of the event,
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By holding the fashion show in the memorial complex without properly acknowledging the history and significance of the chosen site, attempts to erase the memory of the place, transforming it into an entertainment venue, and indirectly disrespects the trauma and grief of those repressed during the Soviet era and their descendants,
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By not taking steps to raise awareness of the cultural value and significance of the memorial, diminishes and suppresses discourse that seeks to rethink and reinterpret the Soviet past,
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Turns the memorial, which comprises an important part of society's collective memory and identity, into a buttafuori to distort and misrepresent the past.
The Cultural and Social Narratives Laboratory (CSN Lab) has been actively involved in memory studies, exploration of the Soviet past and advocacy of cultural rights for years. In the framework of various projects, our team has consistently addressed issues related to Soviet repressions, analysing them in the context of cultural rights among other perspectives. As a cultural and social organisation, we find the approach of the Yerevan Municipality and event organisers towards Yerevan's cultural heritage, its monuments, and the public's collective traumatic memory unacceptable and condemnable. Given this, we demand that the city authorities provide an official clarification regarding the holding of Yerevan Fashion Week at the Soviet Repression Memorial and respect the cultural rights of society.
Yerevan
08/11/2024