Tatev's zome garden of horizontal growth & multiplicities of becoming
The film draws on over 150 GB of performance footage contributed by community members, along with excerpts from oral histories, preserved in the DC Public Library People’s Archives (Dig DC).
D.I.Y. in the District (Oct–Dec, 2025) began as an exhibition I proposed to the MLK Jr. Memorial Library and grew into a two-year collaboration with artists, organizers, and curators across D.C., celebrating the city’s artist-run spaces from the 1970s to today. I also curated the D.I.Y. in DC Festival (Oct 18–19), activating the Great Hall with panels, workshops, music, gongs, and movement.
Rhizome is Home is a 40-minute documentary I directed in 2021 after leading an oral history project on Rhizome DC. Supported by Humanities DC, it weaves 13 interviews and seven years of archival recordings into a portrait of a DIY space shaped by care, improvisation, and community.
Share-back were a part of each element of the project with performances, movement, and interactive experiences. Participants explored oral histories at listening stations inside and outside the house, attended library screenings, and joined a procession to Takoma Park Community Center for the film’s first public screening.
I’m the volunteer manager at Milagro Allegro Community Garden, part of the LA City Garden Council’s network of 40 gardens. I garden there with my mom and help support daily operations, community engagement, and long-term planning. I’ve secured city and neighborhood grants to retile the kitchen with rescued historic tiles and to upgrade our grande beds in early 2026. I also take part in council meetings and trainings and help design intergenerational programs focused on marginalized communities and food education.
In addition to my on-the-ground work, I have access to 16 years of media—video, photos, and documentation—from the garden and local community efforts, and I’m exploring ways to develop a living archive that shares this history, investing in its continuity.
space is the place
