My Way Home

30.11.2024
8 min read
Repat Story
Turning Homesickness Into Art
Turning Homesickness Into Art
 
As a writer, I have always found it interesting to write about about people I have met not through the repatriate community, and who, at first glance, seem like old friends. But through conversations about repatriation, I discover them anew. One of those people is Gayane Ghazaryan (Bayatyan). We have known each other for over ten years, originally living in neighboring cities – she in Krasnodar, me in Rostov-on-Don. Both were involved in the charity “Help the Children of Armenia.” Two years ago, we ran into each other on Baghramyan Avenue during her visit to Yerevan. It was a brief encounter, but it marked the beginning of her journey back to Armenia as a young designer.

- Gayane, what was your connection to Armenia before you moved here? What kept you connected to the country?

I was born in Armenia, but we moved to Russia when I was two years old. We lived there until school age, and then we returned to Armenia. It was really important to my parents that my sister and I grew up in an Armenian environment and got an Armenian education. I finished school and my first university here, but we left again. Our lives were divided between the two countries. We’d come and go at different times, so we wouldn’t be apart from our father. My connection with Armenia was always strong; every year we came back, even if just for a week or two, sometimes as part of the Youth Organization of the Krasnodar and North Caucasus Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

- How was life for you outside Armenia?
 
As a linguist, I entered a second university in Russia to study Cultural Studies in my master’s. But I always dreamed of being a designer. So, I enrolled in the Krasnodar State Institute of Culture for a bachelor’s in fashion design while working in other fields. Even when I was far from Armenia, my sister and I were very active in the Armenian community, the diocese’s cultural center and the Sunday school. We helped organize events and occasionally worked on costumes.
 
 
- Gayane, you moved to Russia at an age when you were already aware of what it meant. Was the separation painful? Did you ever want to return?
 
We moved to keep the family together, and I always knew it was temporary for my sister and me. I saw it this way: I was getting my education as a designer there, but my future as a designer was always meant to be in Armenia.
 
- Where did your first experience as a designer happen?
 
In 2016, when I enrolled to study fashion design, I was already working on costumes. In 2018, I was invited by the HAYK film company to be the costume designer for the movie “Arshaluis" about an Armenian woman who helped soldiers during WWII. I worked for six months, choosing the costumes, sketching and working on set. At the same time, my sister and I were working on costumes for community events and organizing photoshoots in traditional Armenian taraz. My first collection came together during my final years at university, and my thesis was about a collection inspired by Armenian architecture. I finally launched it in 2023 in Yerevan.
 
- Did Yerevan become an inspiration for your collection? Was it a way to express homesickness?
 
We all love Yerevan. Everything I saw during my walks around the city inspired my designs. The shapes, the colors –everything made me want to create. It was my way of expressing my love for the city and my longing for a place I hadn’t fully lived in yet.
 
- I understand that feeling of homesickness very well. It often peaks before you take real steps toward returning. Was there a moment when you realized it was time to come home?
 
The 2020 war in Artsakh and the military actions in Armenia in 2021 and 2022 made me realize it was time to come back. I knew I couldn’t keep monitoring everything from afar. There was no point in being outside Armenia anymore. I needed to be here, to live through what those here were experiencing.

- Even then, your move to Armenia was a bit of a surprise. How did you end up with Birthright Armenia?

In 2022, my father and I came to Armenia for business for two weeks. The business stretched on, and I began wondering how I could contribute here. My sister suggested I reach out to Birthright Armenia. They offered me a four-week volunteer program. That’s how I ended up styling the Junior Eurovision contestants. Later, they invited me to help organize Yerevan Fashion Week. By the time my father left, I decided to stay. I lived with a host family, worked online and taught Armenian and Russian to Armenian speakers living in Russia.

- How did you make a name for yourself as a young designer in Armenia?
 
Birthright Armenia isn’t just about volunteering; it also allows you to work on your own projects in Armenia. Since I hadn’t finished my collection by then, I focused on it. In the summer of 2023, Yerevan hosted its first international Fashion Week. I applied for the Fashion Scout competition for young designers and was one of eight finalists, showcasing my collection at the event. It felt like my collection was always meant to be shown in Armenia. Right after Fashion Week, I joined the costume design team for the film "Revived," directed by Jivan Avetisyan, about the two wars in Artsakh. My volunteer experience with Birthright Armenia lasted a year instead of just one month.
 
 
- Gayane, what makes the Bayatyan Fashion House outfits stand out from those of other young designers?
 
I create complex shapes, like arches, but with light fabrics. I developed a sewing technique that allows me to make these monumental forms look light and airy.
 
- Where do you see yourself as a young designer right now?
 
 
This year has been all about Parajanov for me. I had the honor of showing my work alongside designers like Krikor Jabotyan and Vahan Khachatryan at an exhibition marking Parajanov's 100th anniversary. I’m currently working with a young actor-director on the costumes for “The Color of Pomegranate.” My second collection, which will explore Parajanov and Armenian nature, is in the works. While my first collection celebrated Armenian architecture, the second will focus on nature – the layered mountains on the horizon.
 
- What spiritual heights has Armenia helped you reach? Or maybe, did it hold you back?
 
Through it all, there’s one goal – returning to Armenia. Everything else revolves around that. Sevan Kabakyan, the director of Birthright Armenia, told me at our first meeting, "You need to have zero expectations in Armenia." I live without expectations. Nothing compares to what you gain here. I’m not in a foreign place; I’m home – physically and mentally. That’s what brings me peace. The highest point I’ve reached is the joy of being in my homeland.
 
Interviewed by Nare Bejanyan

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