INCOMPLETE CIRCLE DANCE
On weekdays, the assembly hall is the dining hall. We transform it, dragging benches and chairs from all the recreation areas, piling tables on top of each other. Chairs stand in the gallery, too; on weekdays, it is from up there the foreign delegations are shown Soviet children, feeding. Conscientious, the children pretend they are not being watched. And – credit where it’s due – the delegations pass above us, duly moved. They are not permitted food. In extraordinary cases, Maman offers them cognac in her office.
Transformation was inherent in the design: on the right-hand wall separating the kitchen from the dining hall there’s a fully-equipped stage, covered by dark red velvet curtains. The velvet falls in generous folds – enough for ten of Maman’s dresses. Dur
