A Day of Oddities in Yerevan

Do you ever have days in which you stumble throughout a city in search of something? Days in which you find yourself in the most surreal environments that you typically wouldn't search for, but just somehow find yourself in? That was me today. A day in which it felt like one of exploration, even though nothing really worked out. Each place attempted was a mere disappointment for the most part. The attempts to find something new and enjoyable, though instead feeling a bit lost, even a bit too old for the locations you're in, even if you notice those around you are actually older. Yerevan is an interesting place, an old city that is rather small, but when you scratch enough at the surface, another world opens up before you. You don't really find these moments beforehand, you instead find them in the moment, ending up in new locations, surrounded by new people, and new forms of what some may consider art. I'm always in the search for such places, though often enough I end up feeling a bit out of place. Particularly today, finding areas that are incredibly interesting in appearance and idea, but a little lost. One place was an artistic area that gave artists residency, and then would help them advertise and sell their creations. A great idea, but unfortunately heavily oriented around the idea of progressive ideologies. A shame given the beauty of the area, the homemade feeling of it all, even a stage made of all kinds of things that gave off the impression of small community events in the evenings.

Brutalism and the old mixed with odd ideas of the new. The feeling of the warmth with spring was finally here. A strong wind throughout the city was felt as leaves and bits of blossom flew from above into the people's eyes and eventually the ground. An interesting atmopshere was felt throughout the day. A lot of artistic ideas, thoughts, feelings that mixed together into a blend of confliction. I felt inspired and prepared. The idea that there was opportunity everywhere was felt. That the camera within my hands was something that could take me to new levels of creativity and deeper into this odd culture that was found beneath the surface. Yerevan surprises a lot, especially as seasons change and the feeling heavily differs as various types of people come out of the woodwork. Sometimes it's surprising how different it feels, how similar it all can seem at a glance, though you find yourself surrounded by subcultures and people that just seemingly manifested into the area. Slowly, I have been trying to find new ways to capture this environment, more interested in the people and stories for once. The ideas people have and the ways in which they find creativity and community. I've thought about making documentaries on it, thought of making new ways to share these stories. I have a new lens arriving here at some point, and it's exciting to have some new gear that could contribute to the new manners of capturing it all.

I have a lot more to share regarding this odd day, but I think I'll do it in a different post where I can really focus on the specifics. Underground attempts at experimental techno music. The half-attempts at creating wine events in the city. The ways in which Yerevan often feels like it tries a little bit but just really fails to fully grasp the methods to create something genuinely interesting. That contrast between a heavily artistic city, and the attempts to generate other crowds. It's a city that is in constant motion despite its small size. So many things tucked away and hidden from few. A city that takes forever to roam through to really see it. From the surface, as mentioned before, you don't get a single glimpse of what it's really like.

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