Sergei Parajanov Museum

The museum occupies a two-storey house in the Kanaker-Zeytun district, in the upper part of Yerevan, about twenty minutes on foot from the centre. The street gives no hint of what lies inside: Soviet-era blocks, volcanic tuff houses, a discreet entrance. Crossing the threshold, the contrast is immediate and almost physical.

The rooms are filled with collages built from scraps of fabric, cut-out photographs, feathers and buttons; articulated dolls reaching several metres in height; hats transformed into sculptures; drawings made in prison with a line somewhere between illustration and engraving. The visual density is high — each display case accumulates dozens of pieces — and you do not need to know Parajanov's cinema to find what is here compelling, though having seen at least The Color of Pomegranates adds layers of meaning to almost everything you look at. The museum is not large; an hour is enough, but it is easy to stay longer.

Staff speak Armenian and Russian; English is limited. Admission costs around 1,000 drams. Closed on Tuesdays.

Sergei Parajanov was born in Tiflis in 1924 into an Armenian family and built his career in the Soviet Union. His films — among the most singular in twentieth-century cinema — brought him state persecution: he was imprisoned on several occasions on fabricated charges. During those periods, and whenever he was not allowed to film, he produced thousands of artistic objects that today form the core of the museum. He died in Yerevan in 1990. His nephew Zaven Sargsyan founded the museum in 1991; it houses around two hundred of those objects and archival material relating to his films.

• Collages and assemblages The heart of the collection: pieces built from fabric, photographs, feathers and domestic objects that blend Caucasian folklore, religious imagery and surrealist references.
• Dolls and articulated figures Characters constructed from discarded materials that echo his films; the largest are displayed on the staircase and reach several metres in height.
• Decorated hats A series of hats transformed into sculptural objects, displayed in individual cases with their own lighting.
• Drawings and watercolours Works on paper produced largely during his prison stays, with a highly personal line between illustration and engraving.
• Film archive room Excerpts from his films and documentary material in a small screening room that operates on irregular hours; worth asking about on arrival.

The museum is at Dzoragyugh Street 1, Kanaker-Zeytun district. From the centre (Republic Square or Kentron) a taxi costs around 500-700 drams. It is also possible to take the metro to Barekamutyun station and walk about 15 minutes. From Zvartnots Airport — about 12 km from the centre — there is a bus to Republic Square and from there a taxi to the museum.

Open year-round except Tuesdays. As an indoor space, the season has little effect on the visit itself. In spring and autumn Yerevan has the most pleasant climate for combining the museum with walks around the city. In July and August temperatures exceed 36°C, but the museum is air-conditioned and rarely crowded. In winter there are fewer visitors and the neighbourhood is quieter.