Photos from the frontline. Diary of Collective Memories
Participatory project / Analog photography / 2022-2023

The project was supported by Vidnova Fellowship Ukraine

"Photos from the frontline. "Diary of collective memories" is a participatory project, in the framework of which servicemen of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were recording their experiences, everyday life, and feelings on disposable film cameras during the fall of 2022 – winter of 2023.

Participants of the project: Ryan Christopher Collins (1st Battalion of International Legion), Oleksiy Valujsky-Sharygin (Seneka unit), and, thanks to the cooperation with NGO “Female Veteran Movement”, a few women claimed that they want to join: Alyaska (Alya Lis, paramedic of the 93rd brigade), Iryna ISky (photo artist, press service 59), and Olha Nemtseva (journalist, beauty editor of Marie Claire Ukraine magazine, commander of the tank battalion branch of the 47th brigade "Magura").

The process was stretched over time, extremely unpredictable and uncontrollable. One of the cameras ended up in a burning house hit by a drone and was miraculously saved. At the same time, the second drone hit the project participant - Alyaska, who, fortunately, survived and went through rehabilitation. These photos are symbolic physical evidence that the participants survived and preserved their memories in the physical dimension.

A full-scale war forced us to rethink the past and perceive the stormy present in a new way. How we perceive this experience after the war will shape our perception of ourselves from a historical perspective. This period of growth, revival, and initiation of the Ukrainian identity must be remembered forever so that we no longer lose the independence we are gaining. This project is about memory, and about the fact that Ukrainians remain the authors of their lives even when they risk it for the sake of the future of their country, standing on the border between life and death.

The exhibition of these photographs happened in May 2023 at the Ostriv, a scientific artistic platform in Kyiv. However, this exhibition is not the end of this story, but only its beginning.

The goal of this project is to print a photo book with more photos of the participants. Just as the servicemen repel the enemy by uniting their forces, we can make this idea a reality together and print a photo book.

If you want to invest in the memory of how we fought for our independence, you can make your donation and then get your book copy! Just follow the link code and click donate.

Feel free to contact me if you have an idea of this project’s further development.