Livyj Bereh

As a result of active hostilities, numerous bombings and shelling, the territory of Ukraine has suffered significant damage, including the destruction of housing, civil infrastructure, architectural monuments and cultural heritage objects. Founded at the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Livyi Bereh (Left Bank) volunteer organization, whose name refers to the left bank of the Dnipro River, provided targeted assistance to civilian population in Kyiv. As the liberation of the occupied territories began in the spring of 2022, the volunteer initiative expanded its activities, mainly focusing on providing military units with vehicles, drones, necessary ammunition and equipment as well as on restoring buildings damaged as a result of hostilities in the Chernihiv, Kyiv and Kharkiv regions. While working in the affected areas, members of the volunteer group study the local context, documenting the peculiar features of architecture and everyday life, and build their own archive. The work presented at the exhibition includes objects discovered during the reconstruction activities: architectural elements, household items and other artifacts, like a wooden sun-shaped frame formerly located on the roof of a house or bricks – once part of a traditional stove – left undamaged in the ruins of a burned-out house. Together, they amount to a spontaneous collection of testimonies about the culture and everyday life in Ukrainian towns and villages, which are now being brought back to life due to the joint efforts of their residents and volunteers.