Barbara Hammond (New York based playwright) about her residence at VGLAZ:
Q What brought you in Moscow?
A When I was eleven or twelve, I had a map of the world tacked up that covered the entire bedroom wall. It was a Soviet-made map from the 1960’s -- everything was in Russian and used cyrillic script, and I spent a lot of time lying in bed staring up at it and wondering what the U.S. looked like from the Russian perspective and how skewed the U.S.’s idea of what Russian life must be. That map made me want to travel the world and experience each new place as if it were home. When I was seventeen, I bought a one-way ticket to London, and then went on to Dublin, and life happened, and I never did make it to Moscow.
So the seed was planted when I was young, and this year I was commissioned by the Contemporary American Theatre Festival to write a play that takes place mostly in Moscow, so I jumped at the chance to come to the place I had visited so often in my imagination.
Q What did you most appreciate while being part of VGLAZ?
A So many, many things. The best was the instant feeling that I was part of a community, not just of artists but of journalists, writers and activists – and also, just outside the door, of workers. VGLAZ’s location in the midst of a light industrial workyard made me feel like I was witnessing the machinery that makes Moscow run every day, the way the waterfront in Brooklyn also feels like the machinery of New York where people work around the clock to keep everything humming. Luda was so welcoming and helpful and the place is light, airy and, although it’s a working art space, is also a very homey place to relax, cook and recoup from the task of travel and conducting interviews and seeing a whirlwind of new places every day. Gosha was on tour during my stay so, unfortunately, we didn’t cross paths, but his amazing work was everywhere – I felt like I met him by seeing his work, his family and his friends.
Q What impact did the residence have on your artistic practice?
A My stay felt like “real life” so, very quickly, after a day or so, I felt like I lived in Moscow and wasn’t just visiting. Because of this, I feel confident that I can write a play set in a city I don’t know inside out, but whose history and future, triumphs and troubles, its people and its government, are now open to me through the deep impressions I gained via my stay atVGLAZ, and the people I now know and can correspond with because of their openness and generosity and kindness to me.
Q Would you recommend staying at VGLAZ? Why?
A Absolutely. I wish to come back myself for a longer period! I think for an artist with a mission to expand their understanding of Russia and its art world and with a thirst for adventure, VGLAZ provides a banquet. Sitting on the rooftop to smoke and have a cup of tea or a glass of vodka and watching the changing light of the Moscow skyline as the sun goes down – that memory alone was worth the entire journey.
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