Katabasis
Analog photography, sound, poetry / 2023

Accordingly, when winter comes there is a need to get some coal in order to warm the house. Through the lens of ancient myth, I wanted to imagine what offerings could be made to Persephone, Queen of the Underworld – to make her kind and allow a miner, an industrial hero, to get some coal from the underworld?

I reflect on the idea of coal as a gift of nature, and by bringing it to the table among fruits and flowers, I want viewers to stop and think about the role of coal in the development of our civilization. Nowadays coal is still on the stage, in Ukraine more than 140 mines are functioning, while in the UK a new mine is going to be opened very soon in Whitehaven.

In the “Katabasis” multimedia project I am combining the symbolism and meanings of ancient Greek mythology with modern industrial objects from miners' lives (from both England and Ukraine).

In my research, I was curious – what does this action of going underground mean? It reminded me of the Greek concept of “katabasis” – the journey to the underworld, a realm of the unknown which is sacred in all myths throughout the continents; going there IS the transforming thing itself, is a hero’s journey, a challenge that changes all the course of the history.

Following the Greek legend of changing seasons, winter exists because Persephone spends six months underground, in the kingdom of her husband Hades.

The project consists of 9 photographs and an audio poem “Who has seen Persephone?”

Sound production: Matthew O’Toole (The UK / Ireland)

Created within the (Re)Grounding Art residency program and supported by Izolyatsia, D6 Culture in Transit and British Council Ukraine.

The project was presented within the (Re)Grounding exhibition at the NewBridgeProject gallery in Newcastle, the UK.