17 May 2017 — 21 May 2017

On May 20-21, 2017, IZOLYATSIA is taking part in the Book Arsenal, presenting a special programme that will include a range of events as a part of the research project Donbas studies, namely: presentation of the book Donbas. First Line and a panel discussion; a lecture of the Ukrainian author Lyubov Yakymchuk Decomposition. How the war tells the stories; premiere of the documentary Miners’ Stories and the discussion Miners’ stories from the east and west of Ukraine: similarities and peculiarities.

 

Saturday, 20.05, 11:00-12:30
Location: Ducat Hall
Presentation of the book Donbas. First line and the panel discussion ‘Art therapy during a wartime: relocated cultural spaces of Donbas’

Recent events in Ukraine have become a serious challenge for the whole society. The previous low mobility of the residents of Ukraine resulted in a capsulation of life within separate territorial units which ultimately gave the green light to political manipulations that easily root wherein the personal experience of communication with ‘the other’ is absent. Those fears and lack of trust to 'the other' can be eliminated only through acquaintance and face-to-face communication. And in this case, it is the art which saves us all, being capable of speaking in images and common life values, dignity, mutual respect. The culture has become a sharp-cut weapon during the occupation, when a straight word and image created by an artist show who is who quickly and eloquently. Meanings produced by artists reflect our lives, which force us to think about our lives and ourselves, about everyday choice of values that we make, hence asserting its importance to all of us.  

Participants of the panel discussion: Oksana Mikheieva (sociologist), Svitlana Babenko (sociologist), Lyubov Yakymchuk (novelist), Sergey Zakharov (artist), Volodymyr Rafeyenko (novelist)

Moderator: Lubava Illyenko

Compilation Donbas. First Line was created in the framework of the research project Donbas Studies by IZOLYATSIA. It was supported by the Human Rights Fund of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The collection of publications includes original scientific and journalistic articles, interviews and photographs, which actualize the cultural, political and social aspects of the region, analyze its current military events. Authors: Andriy Vozyanov, Oksana Mikheieva, Ievgeniia Moliar, Andriy Portnov, Kateryna Radchenko, Kateryna Iakovlenko and others. Compiled by Lubava Illyenko. Information about the publication: http://donbasstudies.org/book/donbas-persha-liniya/

 

Saturday, 21.05, 12:00
Location: Dukat Hall
Lecture of the author Lyubov Yakymchuk Decomposition. How the war tells the stories

How does the reality of war, its plot and ideology in particular, affect literary forms? How is the form converted into meaning and vice versa? From the biological degradation to the literary decomposition. From the genetic mutation to the mutation of genres. The lecture is based on the humanities and sciences, in particular on the achievements of the neurobiology and author’s empirical experience. The lecture was delivered in Washington and Edmonton in autumn 2016.

Lyubov Yakymchuk — novelist, poet, researcher. She was born in 1985 in the Luhansk region. Lyubov Yakymchuk graduated from the Taras Shevchenko Luhansk National University and Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. She is the author of poetry books , like FASHION (2009), Apricots of Donbas (2015). She is the winner of national and international literature awards. Yakymchuk’s poetry hs been translated into over ten languages. She has co-authored video poetry and audio poetry projects.

Moderator: Dmitry Chepurnoy

 

Sunday, 21.05, 16:00-17:30
Location: Movie Hall №2
Screening of the documentary film Miners’ stories
Discussion Miners’ stories from the east and west of Ukraine: similarities and peculiarities

Premiere of the documentary Miners’ stories, based on the life of miners from Lviv and Donetsk regions. The film screening will be followed by an open discussion Miner’s stories from the east and west of Ukraine: similarities and peculiarities, featuring the director and the crew.

Participants of the discussion: Ksenia Kuzina (historian), Piotr Armyanovsky (director), Maria Vronchuk (author of the idea), Oleksa Stasevych (project manager)

The moderator: Dmitry Chepurnoy

Moreover, during the day a multimedia exhibition of the miners’ stories will be on display at the location. Short videos based on the stories collected in mining towns in Lviv and Donetsk regions will be available on a touch screen interactive map.

The documentary is the result of the collaboration between the Initiatives of Change International NGO, Our Future NGO, and the volunteers of the project Miners’ stories: from the east and west of Ukraine in summer 2016.

All the events will take place at Mystetskyi Arsenal, 12 Lavrska Street.