Russian illegal prison on IZOLYATSIA premises has been operational for 10 years.

ZK/U Open House Event

On July 18, 2024, at 19:00, ZK/U Berlin will host an Open House Event, where prototypes of projects by Ukrainian artists will be presented together with representatives of the Project Institute for Theatre and Arts / PQ Prague quadrennial (Czech Republic), FRU/AKTO (North Macedonia) and ZK/U Berlin (Germany). Olha Filonchuk and Danylo Simonovych are Ukrainian artists representing IZOLYATSIA Foundation during the ZK/U residency as part of the Active CITY(zens) project.


On 18.07.2024, at 19:00, ZK/U Berlin will host an Open Studio Event, which will present project prototypes of Ukrainian artists together with representatives of Project Institute for Theatre and Arts / PQ Prague quadrennial (Czechia), FRU/AKTO (North Macedonia), and ZK/U Berlin (Germany). 

In the Active CITY(zens) project, artists explore 10-second performances and the attention economy. Inspired by the histories of the ZK/U building, a railroad depot that served as a heating centre in the interwar period, and Ukraine's IZOLYATSIA, whose original building in Donetsk was occupied by Russia in 2014 and turned into a prison and torture chamber, artists examine how buildings' purposes change over time.

Residents consider how the ZK/U building might transform into a military danger scenario, paralleling current transformations in Ukraine. What processes can occur in a building, person, society, and the planet's ecosystem in the face of disaster and danger?

Danylo Symonovych is developing a prototype of site-specific performance that links the ZK/U building's history as a heating centre during the interwar period with Ukraine's "Points of Invincibility." The prototype offers the opportunity to recharge devices, heat food, or drink hot tea, even during blackouts. 

Olha Filonchuk is developing the idea of an immersive installation on the roof. The installation will address the planetary impact of the Russian ecocide in Ukraine on the ecosystem and the existential phenomenon of hope amid catastrophe, tenderness, and attention to one's inner world. The artist uses movement, text, symbols, and metaphors as visual language tools


Photo: Olha Filonchuk


Active City(ZENS) is a project co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.