"My ideas are your embodiment"
In Vladikavkaz, people with disabilities have set up a creative lab. They learn to communicate, dance, perform on stage, and simply continue living normal lives. Here, people with speech impairments begin speaking and acting in plays, people with motor disabilities dance, create clothing collections, and most importantly, they gain self-confidence and the understanding that they are not alone in this life.
NeMoscow visited the inclusive studio and spoke with the art space's participants.
Nastya Provotorova is 32 years old. She has severe cerebral palsy, and limited mobility in her arms and legs.
It was she who initiated the idea of creating the studio “My ideas – your embodiment”.
Despite what I have managed to do, I consider myself very imperfect, but I began to feel more confident when they believed in me, — Nastya tells NeMoskva.
She graduated with honors from a comprehensive school specializing in education for people with disabilities. Her subjects were only oral—Nastya cannot write. Teachers would come to her home, give her assignments, Nastia's mother would read a paragraph aloud to her, and in the next lesson, Nastia would retell the material to the teachers and answer their questions.
"I have to give her credit—she's a great teacher, she had a huge desire to learn. She pushed me to find the information I needed, and wouldn't leave me alone until I finished a particular piece or paragraph." — says Nastya’s mother, Natalia Provatorova. — She took her exams like everyone else: the exam paper, the preparation, and the answers. I'm proud of Nastya and can say that she knows Russian history like a good teacher.
After finishing school, Nastya was unable to enroll in university. According to Natalia, universities didn't offer "home" teachers or tutors, and Nastya's mother couldn't afford to drive Nastya to classes or get her through the classroom herself.
Soon after finishing school, Nastya's health problems worsened.
She began experiencing psychosomatic pain after the losses she suffered. First, my niece, an orphan who lived with us, died, then her grandmother, with whom she was also close. Nastya's father's departure from the family finally took its toll. We began endless trips to hospitals and examinations, which revealed no physical cause for the pain. Then we brought in a psychologist, and Nastya felt better. — says Natalia.
Nastya and Izaura
After finishing school, I withdrew into myself, staying home all the time. But since I'm a goal-oriented and active person, this couldn't last long, and I came up with the idea of creating costumes. I had images of clothing collections in my head, I saw what the costumes should look like, and I wanted to capture the designs on paper. But since my hands are useless, I didn't know how to draw them. After some time, I met a volunteer, Izaura, and for 12 years now, Izaura's hands have been my hands. So, I come up with the costume sketches, she draws them, and then it all turns into a collection. — says Nastya.
Izaura Kallagova met Nastya when she was a fourth-year student in the psychology and pedagogy department at North Ossetian University. A practicing psychologist approached the students with a request for help for a girl with cerebral palsy.
It turned out the psychologist was working with Nastya, and she offered to go for walks with her and help her with her daily chores. My friend and I volunteered. We visited the Provatorovs once a week, helped, and talked. And little by little, we started drawing.,” Izaura recalls.
The future psychologist was fascinated by interactions with "special" people. Their acquaintance quickly developed into friendship, and then into a creative partnership. Nastya created ideas, and Izaura did what she loved and was good at—drawing.
After graduating from university, Izaura worked for seven years as a psychologist at the Pink Elephant child development center. She got married and went on maternity leave, but even then, she remained an active participant in the creative lab. Today, she has her three-year-old son, Azamat, to keep her company. At first, Izaura brought the boy to the studio because there was no one to look after him. But then she began to do this consciously. I remember people's rather inappropriate reactions to Nastya when we were walking together. I think not everyone is prepared to see people in wheelchairs and on crutches on the streets: some stare at them openly, some turn away shyly, others openly express their disdain. I started bringing my son to the studio's classes so that from an early age he could see and understand that people with disabilities are just like the rest of us. — says Isaura.
Izaura admits that “My Ideas - Your Embodiment” is a place of power where she is charged with special energy and feels satisfaction from the fact that she can be useful.
The most difficult thing is that the finished work and the author are inspired and take into account the needs of society.ah, - continues Isaura. - I sometimes try to add my own touch to the sketches, but of course, the final say is Nastya's. If even one person likes the dress we created, then it was all worth it.
First exhibition and fashion show
In 2014, Nastya Provatorova held her first solo exhibition. The exhibition was prepared with the help of Izaura. The collection included day and evening dresses, some of which were pre-made and presented.
The event took place at the Republican Opera and Ballet Theatre and was a great success.
Nastya was nervous before the exhibition, afraid she wouldn't be understood or appreciated. But seeing the genuine delight in the eyes of the people who came to see her exhibition, Nastya was delighted. She felt like a true star, with everyone wanting to take a photo with her.,” Izaura recalls.
"My ideas are your embodiment"
It was after this successful debut that Nastya decided to create a mini-studio, "My Ideas - Your Realization," where people with disabilities could bring their ideas to life—and if they couldn't do it themselves, with the help of teachers and volunteers.
At that time, some of the participants in the future laboratory, including Nastya, already knew each other and communicated through the "Be Good" foundation.
We wrote a concept for the project and decided to get a grant for its development. At first, our volunteers made several unsuccessful attempts to defend the project at the Mashuk youth forum. It's hard to say why they couldn't. Then my youngest daughter and Izaura went to the forum. They called me from there and said they weren't being given enough time to defend their thesis. Then we made a spontaneous decision to go there with Nastya, and she was able to participate in the defense of her project. I can confidently say that they didn't give us the grant out of pity.Nastya's mother, Natalia Provatorova, tells the story.
The "My Ideas - Your Embodiment" laboratory involves people with various stages of cerebral palsy (even those who can only lie down): wheelchair users, people with musculoskeletal disorders, speech, hearing, vision, and other disabilities, as well as anyone interested in working with them—specialists in various fields, and volunteers.
The creative space offers a variety of activities: sewing, acting, dance, painting, and chess. Recently, an information technology studio, "Tsifronavtika," was established, where students began learning computer literacy, various programs, and neural networks.
The studio also houses the PRoSvet media center. During the classes, lab participants learn to speak clearly and competently, and try their hand at being correspondents, camera operators, and SMM specialists. (Photos: 10, 13, 14 – media center classes).
Around 20 people attend the classes, and they help create thematic sections based on their interests. Nastya, for example, has a video section called "Nastya Knows" on the project's website. She independently searches for interesting facts on a given topic, and the studio director and volunteers help her create content: write and shoot videos. Another media center participant, Slavik Digurov (a young man with cerebral palsy), is supported in realizing his potential through his passion for music. He created the section "The Story of a Song"—he chooses a song, finds interesting information about it, and the volunteers edit and publish it.
Many participants in the creative lab are currently working on social projects: a visiting specialist is teaching them how to write a project that will qualify for a grant. All projects are aimed at improving the lives of people with disabilities.
Madonna, for example, tired of the difficulties of interacting with a regular taxi, began working on a social taxi project.
Barefoot Souls
The project's special pride is the inclusive theater "Barefoot Souls," which has already received awards, including at the All-Russian level. Amateur actors have already performed Alexander Pushkin's tragedy "A Feast During the Plague" and Anton Chekhov's "The Anniversary." Almost all of the lab participants participate in these productions. Theatrical performances help them open up, overcome shyness and self-consciousness, and even help some participants with speech impairments begin speaking. This happened to Slavik Digurov. He couldn't speak, but he rehearsed long and hard, and now recites poetry in the theater.
Why "barefoot souls"? "People like us are mostly closed off, with our own complexes. With this name, we show that we want to open up to society, to show what we're capable of," Nastya continues.
I felt shy for a long time, but here I've made real friends who are always there to help. We've become family. I've had an interesting experience on stage here. I never imagined I'd be performing in such large-scale productions.x,” admits the interlocutor of “NeMoskva.”
Nastya has already performed in five plays. The production "Ossetians in Paris," written by one of the lab participants, stands out for her. Nastya believes she practically played herself—a couturier who came to Paris to present her fashion collection.
The theatre also plays "unbending"Madonna Dzitsoeva," as many call her, is a woman without legs or sight who has been unable to obtain the housing she is entitled to from the state for 8 years.
Madonna remains optimistic and comes to the studio every Saturday for classes, where she forgets about her problems for at least one day. Recently, Madonna Launched The media center's page features its own podcast, "Voice of the Heart," dedicated to the life, culture, creativity, and everything that resonates with people with disabilities.
In 2018, Madonna played the lead role in her debut play, "When Dreams Come True," based on the fairy tale "Svetik-Seven-Flower," which premiered at the Russian Drama Theater in Vladikavkaz. The studio members wrote the script and directed the production themselves.
With the proceeds from ticket sales, the artists had costumes made based on Nastya's designs. Madonna's outfit was the most delicate—a light blue blouse and beige skirt. After a masterclass with a costume designer, the studio participants decorated their own stage outfits.
In May, the theater studio will travel to Pskov to perform at the inclusive theater festival. Rehearsals for the play "Ossetians in Paris" are currently underway.
Phoenix
Despite her professional achievements and stage experience, Nastya doesn't always manage to maintain her self-confidence, but her loved ones come to her aid.
I'm so happy when I see people who didn't even know they had abilities blossoming and gaining confidence in the studio. They're a huge support for me. I'm so lucky in life to have met such people.y, - says Nastya. - In The most important person in my life, my mother, believed in me. She took on most of the organizational and bureaucratic aspects of setting up the studio. Thanks to my mother and the girls who help me, I believed in myself and realized that nothing is impossible in life.
In turn, Natalia admits that Nastya has always been a source of strength and light for her, who, because of her condition, did not become embittered towards the world and never reproached her for “giving birth to her like this.” "She went through the process of self-acceptance very calmly. From childhood, she seemed to radiate kindness and light, which is why even adults were drawn to her. I remember coming home from work, and my friends were sitting with Nastya and holding her hand. I thought they were doing it out of pity for me, but they explained to me that they were 'charged' by her like a battery. She always calmed me down, too." — Natalia recalls.
But Nastya has desires that, unfortunately, she cannot fulfill, but it is also hard for her not to think about them. I'd like to somehow make life easier for people who have it much harder than me. I'd really like to restore Madonna's sight, if it were within my power. I'd really like to restore mobility to another member, Zarina..
New Collection
Nastya loves dresses, but admits she doesn't have the opportunity to wear them often. She gets joy from the process of creating them—from the sketches in her head to the finished product. — It takes me on average 2-3 months to complete one dress. Sometimes I need to redraw it, and that's quite a labor-intensive process., — she explains.
The girl's interests are often reflected in her collections. One of them was dedicated to France, where Nastya dreams of traveling. She hasn't had the opportunity yet, as she's currently listening to French music and learning the language.
Nastya also has a musical collection of dresses in her collection – in the shape of a saxophone, violin, and other instruments.
Nastya is currently developing a collection dedicated to the Nart epic. Renowned Russian fashion designer Zarina Vataeva invited her to work on the project after seeing Nastya's exhibition at the inclusive forum in Tamiska last year:
"The difficulty was that Nastya's mind was completely blank on this topic; she hadn't read the Nart epic, hadn't even seen any drawings based on it. We had a hard time finding her an audiobook of the epic, and after she listened to it, she got to work. But Zarina warned her right away that she wouldn't spare her and would tell her straight out if she didn't like the drawings."“, says Nastya’s mother.
Judge is salvation
35-year-old Zarina Cheldieva also has cerebral palsy; she has difficulty speaking, but finds written communication easier.
Until she was 11, she was completely paralyzed. We managed her rehabilitation ourselves, taking her to sanatoriums, struggling to secure vouchers, and once, the Ministry of Health even shamed us, saying we knew perfectly well that cerebral palsy is incurable, but we still demanded something," Zarina's father explains. "So, for her, the lab is primarily about communication, which she lacks. She speaks and walks worse in front of others. At home, I understand her and try to communicate, but it's still not enough."
Zarina is now an active member of the studio, practicing para-fencing, learning to play the piano, knitting her own vests and tunics, and painting.
“You could say that classes at the studio are a real salvation for her,” — says Zarina’s father.
Zarina's volunteer, Guara Kabaloeva, does not hide her admiration for her charge.
She is very talented, energetic, and goal-oriented. She never gives up and sees everything she undertakes through to the end. She draws fantastically, and her work, along with Nastya's, was featured in an exhibition.“Yes,” says the interlocutor of “NeMoskva.”
Guara joined the lab about a year ago. She came to help out for two weeks at her sister's request, but ended up staying for a long time.
This place, these people, have become special to me. I don't just help here, but I learn from them—resilience, optimism, a thirst for life. I feel like I'm becoming stronger myself, communicating with them. — says Guara.