Ukraine is under siege following a full-scale military invasion by Russia on 24 February 2022

Industrial Symphony: UK / Donbas

Industrial Symphony: UK / Donbas

24 October 2015—24 October 2015

On Saturday 24 October the pioneering British industrial group Test Dept will visit Ukraine for the first time within the framework of Industrial Symphony: UK / Donbas 

Industrial Symphony: UK / Donbas is a project of IZOLYATSIA foundation and AV Festival, the UK based international Festival of visual art, music and film. This collaboration is possible thanks to the support of the British Council in Ukraine. 

Industrial Symphony: UK / Donbas is dedicated to the synergy and relationship between art and the post-industrial context in modern society. It investigates the role of artists working with an industrial aesthetic in advanced political culture. 

This event includes the Ukrainian premiere of Test Dept’s new sound film DS30, commissioned by AV Festival to mark the 30th anniversary of the 1984-85 UK miners’ strike. Shown alongside the films are images by Ukrainian photographer Valeriy Miloserov of mining communities and striking miners of the Donbas. 

The screening will be followed by a discussion with the artists and Ukrainian historian Anton Lyagusha, chaired by Rebecca Shatwell, Director of AV Festival. 

Industrial Symphony: UK / Donbas program:
Saturday 24 October 2015

18:30: Valeriy Miloserov slideshow
19:00: Test Dept Film Screening
20:00: Q&A session with Test Dept, photographer Valeriy Miloserdov and Ukrainian historian Anton Lyagusha. Chaired by Rebecca Shatwell, Director of AV Festival
21:00: Test Dept DJs and live visuals

Admission Free

Test Dept were leading figures in British underground culture of the 1980s and 1990s. 

The group was inspired by the artistic avant-garde of the first decade of the Russian revolution. In particular their technique of using found sound was influenced by the first Ukrainian sound film, Dziga Vertov’s Enthusiasm (Symphony of the Donbas).

The group made raw, visceral music out of scrap metal and machinery from industrial wasteland and derelict factories. Over 15 years they released 14 albums and toured internationally across Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, US and Canada. A year ago they re-emerged to engage with the current cultural and political climate, exploring new ways of expression and digitally working with their archive. This is their first appearance in Ukraine.

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