present an installation project by Pablo Valbuena
‘SPECTRAL POETRY [KYIV]’
In November, three recognizable Kyiv monuments to Volodymyr the Great, Hryhorii Skovoroda and Bohdan Khmelnytsky will become participants in the large-scale installation project ‘Spectral Poetry’ by Spanish artist Pablo Valbuena. The pedestals and the structures that hide them and at the same time protect them from the results of russian shelling will turn into a ‘canvas’ for a light show with about 40 poems performed by 11 Ukrainian poets. This project will continue Pablo’s work created for MOT.
DTF Magazine together with one of the largest European crypto exchanges with Ukrainian roots — WhiteBIT — tell you what you need to know about the installation, as well as where and when you can see it with your own eyes in Kyiv.
3
monuments
11
Ukrainian poets
40
40 poems
3
days
KYIV, NOVEMBER
WHAT THE PERFORMANCE IS ABOUT
In ‘Spectral Poetry’ Kyiv monuments on the central squares and hills of the Dnipro River will turn into contextual installations. They will be illuminated from inside by special devices that will create pulsating visual effects, and around them there will be the voices of 10 Ukrainian poets who will read out their poems.
‘This audiovisual project will once again allow monuments hidden under scaffolding to become active participants in urban life, — the don’t Take Fake team says. — Using modern technology, light and sound, we want to remind the importance of preserving history and culture, emphasizing that art resists in times of war and preserves the memory of its people’.
WHY POETS
‘The voices of poets who have been experiencing the war and writing about it since its beginning in 2014 are important for understanding the present and projecting the future, — Pablo Valbuena explains. — Poets are particularly sensitive to how we collectively create meanings. Illia Kaminsky, quoting Zbigniew Herbert in his book ‘Words of War’, writes: ‘A poet is like an indicator of the psyche of a nation. In their hands, language becomes an instrument of cultural and life resistance’’
Among the participants of the project are Ostap Slyvynsky, Liuba Yakymchuk, Iryna Tsilyk, Olena Huseynova, Artur Dron, Pavlo Korobchuk, Halyna Kruk, Sofia Lenartovych, Yuliana Lesniak, Kateryna Mikhailitsyna, and Maryna Ponomarenko
WHEN: November 10—12
Daily from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Fabrice Bousteau, curator of the exhibition at MOT:
‘Created in public spaces and in full view of the public, this project between light and shadow, past and future, will take place among historical monuments now hidden beneath protective layers. For a few hours, the artist will re-enchant this silenced cultural heritage with a flow of light pulses synchronized to the rhythm of the words and voices of Ukrainian poets. Radiant in the heart of Kyiv, ‘Spectral Poetry’ sensitively extends MOT’s ambition: to illuminate thought in the here and now through artistic creation’.
Why WhiteBIT supports ‘Spectral Poetry’
The WhiteBIT team was one of the first to support the idea of don’t Take Fake to create the MOT art space, which could be seen by residents and guests of Kyiv, Dnipro, Lutsk and Lviv. Continuing their cooperation, MOT and WhiteBIT decided to create a performance ‘Spectral Poetry’ by Pablo Valbuena in Kyiv, which goes beyond the walls of the art space and becomes an independent large-scale artistic event.
‘It is extremely important for us to support Ukrainian culture, because there is no future without art, — Volodymyr Nosov, founder and CEO of WhiteBIT crypto exchange, explains. — We co-organized MOT and it was there that we had the honor to meet Pablo. That’s how a new project was born, based on what was presented at MOT. We hope that this performance will become a landmark in the life of the capital. Big business cannot live separately from society, so we strive to participate in the most diverse aspects of its life: education, culture, military and humanitarian aid’.
How the story of ‘Spectral Poetry’ began
‘Spectral Poetry’ is a two-part project created by Pablo Valbuena specifically for Ukraine.
The first part, presented at MOT, was a specially designed video simulation based on panoramic footage of the Irpin ‘car cemetery’, one of the symbolic places for Ukrainians where cars destroyed during the battles for the Kyiv region are collected. The flashes of light were accompanied by the voice of poet Lyuba Yakimchuk, who recited her poem ‘Crow, Wheels’ accompanied by double bassist Mark Tokar. Two other concepts used images of Kharkiv’s School #134 and one of Kyiv’s damaged residential buildings.
From February 17 to October 8, MOT traveled throughout Ukraine, and Pablo’s work, along with the work of 27 other artists, could be seen in Kyiv, Dnipro, Lutsk and Lviv.
Valbuena personally traveled to Kyiv in February 2023 to attend the opening of MOT. During his trip, he visited the de-occupied areas of Kyiv in search of the right location for his future performance. Instead of the grayness and devastation he had seen in the news, the artist saw that despite the circumstances, life in Ukraine continues, and people continue to rebuild their homes and streets after the tragic events and protect cultural monuments. All this, seen with his own eyes, prompted him to completely change the concept of the second part of the project, focusing on monuments.
Pablo about the idea:
‘This intervention ritualizes war-affected sites by serving as a temporary memorial to the dead and displaced. They also keep the memory of the damage done to urban buildings and architectural heritage. The destruction of schools, libraries, cultural centers, theaters, religious sites and residential buildings testifies to the brutal social, civil and cultural aggression’.
‘Spectral Poetry’ is a two-part project created by Pablo Valbuena specifically for Ukraine.
The first part, presented at MOT, was a specially designed video simulation based on panoramic footage of the Irpin ‘car cemetery’, one of the symbolic places for Ukrainians where cars destroyed during the battles for the Kyiv region are collected. The flashes of light were accompanied by the voice of poet Lyuba Yakimchuk, who recited her poem ‘Crow, Wheels’ accompanied by double bassist Mark Tokar. Two other concepts used images of Kharkiv’s School #134 and one of Kyiv’s damaged residential buildings.
From February 17 to October 8, MOT traveled throughout Ukraine, and Pablo’s work, along with the work of 27 other artists, could be seen in Kyiv, Dnipro, Lutsk and Lviv.
Valbuena personally traveled to Kyiv in February 2023 to attend the opening of MOT. During his trip, he visited the de-occupied areas of Kyiv in search of the right location for his future performance. Instead of the grayness and devastation he had seen in the news, the artist saw that despite the circumstances, life in Ukraine continues, and people continue to rebuild their homes and streets after the tragic events and protect cultural monuments. All this, seen with his own eyes, prompted him to completely change the concept of the second part of the project, focusing on monuments.
Who is Pablo Valbuena
Time, space, perception and context are the main elements of the Spanish artist’s research and projects. From sculpture to site-specific installations, he creates temporal spaces and transforms perception, dissolving the boundaries of the real and the virtual, the material and the tangible.
His projects combine digital light and sound to create contemporary rituals. This joint experience transforms objects, urban public spaces, the natural environment, architectural heritage and exhibition venues into ritualized places for observers. Pablo’s work has been presented in Europe, Asia and America as part of special orders, in museums, galleries and as large-scale urban interventions.
