The interdisciplinary project ‘Disturbed Ground’, created in collaboration between Kyiv-based institution ∄ and Berlin’s CTM Festival, explores the long-term environmental consequences of the full-scale war in Ukraine. As part of ‘Disturbed Ground’, the teams launched a multi-week residency for audiovisual artists. The first works, developed by Ukrainian and international artist duos, will be presented on June 22 at the Concert Hall on Kyrylivska 41
About ‘Disturbed Ground’
‘Disturbed Ground’ is a continuation of the art residency ‘Echoes of the Earth’, presented by ∄ in December 2024. Within that project, the team showcased works by Ukrainian artists reflecting on the destruction of nature through the language of war and ‘our personal responsibility for water, soil, air, and wildlife’.
The ∄ team explains that ‘Disturbed Ground’ ‘was born at the intersection of contemporary art, sound design, and scientific analysis’. The project responds to the urgent need to speak not only about the humanitarian and political consequences of russia’s war against Ukraine, but also about the environmental ones — including the destruction of landscapes, soil degradation, and pollution of water systems.
Throughout the ‘Disturbed Ground’ residency — just as during ‘Echoes of the Earth’ — artists collaborated with ecologists and scientists to conduct in-depth research on the issue.
About the works of ‘Disturbed Ground’
Undo despot, Zeynep Schilling, Khrystyna Kirik, Mark Bain, alen hast, and myk rudik participated in the project. The event on June 22 will feature two performances, each exploring a separate direction and created using different artistic practices.
The first work was created by Khrystyna Kirik (UA) and Mark Bain (US) in collaboration with artists from ∄’s u2203 studio — alen hast and myk rudik. It ‘focuses on the impact of military explosions on soil — from surface deformations to deep seismic fractures’.
Their performance is grounded in ‘low-frequency vibrations normally inaudible to the human ear, as well as archisonic techniques that activate a tangible resonance within the space and the viewers’ bodies’.
The second work is the result of a collaboration between undo despot (UA), Zeynep Schilling (DE), and alen hast and myk rudik. It explores the theme of water pollution caused by military activity. The artists combine documentary testimonies — including those related to the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant — with ‘mythological imagery of water as a vessel of memory and a site of transformation’.
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You can attend the event with pre-purchased tickets. The cost is 200 UAH until June 22, and 300 UAH on the day of the event.
In July, the project will also be presented in Berlin as a work-in-progress. The full premiere of ‘Disturbed Ground’ is scheduled for early 2026 at CTM Festival — one of Europe’s leading festivals of experimental music and audiovisual art.
More about the ‘Echoes of the Earth’ residency
As part of the ‘Echoes of the Earth’ art residency — a new format for the ∄ space — artists Glam Gargoyle, Liza Biletska, Vartan Markarian, Khrystyna Kirik, Matvii Kozlov, and Olha Oborina engaged with Ukrainian ecologists to explore the coexistence of humans and nature, as well as the human impact on the environment.
The six works created during the residency combine music and video art (Khrystyna Kirik, Vartan Markarian), a video game (Liza Biletska), interactive engagement with a plant’s synthesized sound (Matvii Kozlov), film (Olha Oborina), and poetic sculpture (Glam Gargoyle). The presentation will consist of two cycles, each lasting approximately an hour and a half.
