Between Archive and Art: Photos from Eastern Ukraine

We invite you to the discussion "Between Archive and Art: Photos from Eastern Ukraine," which will take place as part of the public program [unarchiving].

In response to the destruction of cultural heritage caused by Russia's war against Ukraine, new rescue networks have emerged, disrupting traditional hierarchies and approaches. Alongside the focus on unique and historic heritage, everyday and contemporary heritage has also gained value; alongside institutional connections, informal networks have become increasingly important. Using various tools—online crowdsourcing, international partnerships, collaborations between artists and researchers with private collectors, the rescue of orphaned archives, and interviews with members of micro-communities — a more flexible, experimental, though at times more challenging, approach to working with endangered heritage has been developed.

During the event, the participants will share their experiences of working with photographic collections from Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Dr. Victoria Donovan, Professor at the University of St Andrews, and Dr. Catherine Spencer, senior lecturer in Art History at the University of St Andrews, will speak about the project "The Worker Portrait in the Twentieth Century: Archives and Artistic Reflection", which explores the resonances between late-Soviet and British "leftist" photography through the works of Mykola Bilokon (Pokrovsk) and Franki Raffles (United Kingdom). Oleksandr Kuchynskyi, artist and curator, will discuss co-editing and crowdsourcing of family, vernacular, professional, and artistic photographs for the publication "Photo Album of Luhansk Region." Kateryna Filonova, guest researcher at the Center for Urban History, will present the project "City in a Suitcase," which, since 2023, has supported the digitization and preservation of family archives rescued from cities that have suffered the most destruction due to Russian aggression.

Organizers:

• Center for Urban History;
• NGO "Pokrovsk Cultural Code";
• Pokrovsk Historical Museum;
• Dnipro Center for Contemporary Culture;
• University of St. Andrews.

The event will be held as part of the [unarchiving] program and the HeritEDGE: Digital Archiving and Research project with the support of the University of St. Andrews, and a part of the research project "The Worker Portrait in the Twentieth Century: Archives and Artistic Reflection," supported by the British Council through its "Support for Cultural Activity in Ukraine with UK Involvement" programme.

Credits

Cover Image: A group of people near a house, Pokrovsk, 1998, Mykola Bilokon // Pokrovsk Historical Museum

Gallery: Maria Urban